Occupational hazards, safety culture and behaviour: A study of fishermen in Jamestown, Accra

Abstract

This study investigated occupational hazards, safety culture and safety behaviour among fishermen in Jamestown Landing Beach, Accra. Primary data was collected from one hundred and fifty five (155) selected artisanal fishermen using questionnaire. Running correlational and regression analysis on the data, the results indicated that the main causes of accidents at sea included; fatigue and reduced alertness, overloading of canoes, inadequate training and supervision; belief in supernatural protection, defective equipment and facilities, professional pride, and lack of awareness of hazards. Also, age of the fishermen and their fishing tenure influenced their safety behaviours and practices. Further, when demographic variables of the fishermen were controlled for, adherence to safety culture predicted their safety behaviours and practices. The study recommends that to facilitate adherence to safety culture, promote safety behaviours and reduce accident rates at sea, fishermen need to hold regular safety meetings. Also, the Ministry of Fisheries needs to organize education and training programmes in occupational hazards, risk perception and safety at fishing for artisanal fishermen