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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the ways in which underlying social and organisational factors and employment relations underpin the practice of incident reporting in the international shipping industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a qualitative case study method involving field trips to two shipping organisations and sailing on research voyages on two ships of each of the organisations. It draws on empirical data using semi‐structured interviews, notes from fieldwork observations and documentary analysis of company policies, procedures and practices.FindingsIn the two companies studied there were significant gaps between the policy and practice of incident reporting, which were present primarily due to the employees' fear of losing jobs. It is shown that these findings were manifestations of deeper sociological issues and organisational weaknesses in the shipping industry. In particular ineffective regulatory infrastructure, weak employment practices, the absence of trade union support and lack of organisational trust were the key underlying concerns which made incident reporting notably ineffective in the shipping context.Originality/valueWhile the weaknesses in the practice of incident reporting in the shipping industry were reported in the past, previous studies did not offer further explanations. This paper addresses the gap and provides another illustration of the need for looking into deeper sociological underpinnings for practices in the workplace. The author also hopes that the study will have a positive impact on policy makers in the shipping industry.

Past studies on print and TV satire have revealed that satire can be seen as a site of resistance to power. In light of this, interesting questions can be raised regarding Internet satire: what does the Internet contribute to the resistance and what kind of power relation is played out on this site? Using an example from China, this paper reveals that like its print and TV counterparts, Internet satire reflects a widespread feeling of powerlessness, rather than offering the general public any political power. However, the Internet helps to push the symbolic power of satire to a higher level. This is because it makes satire a tool for the grassroots which facilitates the creation and spread of satirical ideas, and also helps to release and stimulate the enormous reserve of public wit and wisdom. As a result, satire on the Internet has the potential to generate a chain of related satirical work, which can create a satire movement and subject power to sustained shame and ridicule.

This article investigates impacts of supply chain occupational health and safety initiatives, utilizing the case of Oil Majors’ involvement in inspecting/regulating shipboard health and safety. It reveals that while supply chain pressure has made a contribution in improving ship safety, seafarers are denied participation in the management of occupational health and safety. Instead, Oil Majors effectively pass their pressure through ship managers down to seafarers and force them to silently comply. Among the consequences are work intensification and fatigue leading to a skewed impact on seafarers’ health and safety. This article suggests that supply chain pressure cannot be an adequate substitute for what an organized workforce can achieve through effective participation in the management of workplace health and safety.

Container terminals are normally exclusively involved with the transport of containerised goods. They now exist everywhere and have redesigned dock-work to increase productivity and efficiencies in the handling of goods, making physical handling by dock-workers increasingly redundant. Conventional wisdom suggests that arrangements for the safety and health of those who remain in employment are generally improved in comparison with past conditions. Yet, reliable evidence of the effects of work on the occupational safety and health (OSH) of these workers is scarce. This paper is based on research which examined the OSH experiences of workers involved with operational tasks in terminals operated by global network terminal (GNT) companies in four countries situated in Asia-Pacific and Europe. It explored these experiences along with the respondents' perceptions concerning the effectiveness of arrangements made to manage their OSH risks, and compared findings between countries. The research demonstrated a significant gap between managers' understandings of the operation of arrangements for OSH and the perceptions and experiences of workers, both in relation to OSH outcomes and the effectiveness of the OSH arrangements. This was especially evident for work-related ill-health, workers' representation and consultation on OSH, and in the differences in the experience of all these between directly employed workers and those employed by contractors. The paper discusses the implications for improved OSH arrangements and outcomes.