Fisheries

The fishing and fish processing industry is a significant part of Nova Scotia’s economy – and is among the most dangerous. Each year, Nova Scotians are injured growing, harvesting, and processing fish yearly.

The following workplace hazards are common in the fishing and fish processing industry:

• Slips, trips and falls
• Entanglement and drowning
• Cuts from knives and machinery
• Chemical hazards
• Noise exposure

Use the OH&S Risk Mapping Tool for injury prevention to identify and mitigate these risks.

Partners in Fishing Safety:

• FishSafeNS - Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia / FishSafeNS Facebook page
• Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council
• Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration
• Safe at Sea Alliance

Stories of tragedy:

• Heather Crout: A painter uses her art help create a culture of safety in memory of her fisherman husband by Jon Tattrie
• Lewis D’Entremont’s story
• Gerry Blackburn’s story

Other resources:

• On-Board Familiarization and Training Checklist (FishSafeNS)
• WorkSafeBC Safety at Work: Commercial Fishing
• Fishing Safety Now
• Working to Well - Return to Work website