Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety
In the past several years, commercial fishing lost the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous industry in the nation. The loss of life has averaged about 11 lives a year for the last 5 years in Alaska, compared to a loss of about 38 lives per year before safety training was required. The greatest drop in fatalities in the nation has been in Alaska. However, commercial
fishing is still a high risk occupation.
AMSEA's Commercial Fishing Program
AMSEA's commercial fishing program brings information and training to commercial fishermen
that directly address the principle causes of injury and death within
the industry.
AMSEA's training emphasizes hands-on survival skills and practicing
actual procedures with equipment that would be used in a real emergency.
AMSEA strives to continually enhance product and service offerings that help commercial fishermen work safely.
 The main component of AMSEA's commercial fishing safety program:
U.S.
Coast Guard approved
Drill Conductor Training
This training was developed
in 1991 to address commercial fishermen's needs as well as the training
requirements specified in the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety
Act of 1988.
Everyone who successfully completes AMSEA Drill Conductor training is issued a Drills Card that serves as proof of compliance with USCG training requirements.
Training is available in 10- and 18-hour formats. It emphasizes hands-on
survival skills and how to conduct effective emergency drills onboard
a vessel with a crew. The course covers firefighting, emergency signals,
Coast Guard emergency evacuations, flooding control, stability, coldwater
survival skills, liferaft and immersion suit use, abandon ship procedures,
man overboard recovery techniques, safety orientations and instructions,
writing
station bills and how to conduct an effective drill. A drill on a vessel
is usually conducted along with a water exercise to practice using
equipment in realistic settings. To date AMSEA has trained over 7,000
people in more than 700 Drill Conductor courses. Over 5,000 of those trained
have been Alaskan mariners, but AMSEA instructors teach Drill Conductor courses for fishermen from the West, East and Gulf coasts.
See detailed course descriptions of AMSEA's 10- and 18-hour Drill Conductor courses, and visit the Course Calendar for a list of upcoming courses in Alaska and beyond.
Catch Fishermen Early
Reaching commercial fishermen at an early age is a strategy shared
with AMSEA's schools program. Offering Drill Conductor training in
Alaska's high schools is a goal. Another is to establish cold water survival education programs at all grade levels.
Refreshing Skills is Critical
The National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) looked at the long-term effect of AMSEA's
Drill Conductor training. The study determined that the training had
a significant effect on a mariner's surviving a casualty at sea, but
that after five years, the positive effects of the training diminished.
This highlights the need for refresher training—another AMSEA priority.
There is no required format for refresher training. AMSEA offers a
variety of options—free course participation for previously trained Drill
Conductors attending any AMSEA Drill Conductor training as a refresher, refresher
workshops and
other special programs.
Custom Courses For Specific Industry Groups
AMSEA also conducts specialty courses for fishermen, ranging from dive harvesters, to fisheries observers which have involved thousands of fishermen and commercial fishing-related workers.
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