Musculoskeletal symptoms among workers in the commercial fishing fleet of Norway

Abstract

Background: Fishers exposed to unfavourable environmental conditions may suffer negative health effects. This study aimed to identify musculoskeletal symptoms in professional fishers in Norway using data from several sources; register data, telephone survey and questionnaire. Materials and methods: Professional fishers (n = 25,971) registered in the period 2008-2013 were selected by Statistics Norway (SSB). An age-and gender-matched control population (n = 77,913) was also selected. Outpatient consultation and hospitalisation data were received from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR). To obtain information about self-reported symptoms, 832 registered fishers on board Norwegian fishing vessels were interviewed by telephone, and a questionnaire was distributed to the crews of 5 trawlers (n = 153). Results: Data from NPR showed that fishers, compared to the control population, suffered significantly more acute incidents related to musculoskeletal disorders (5.4% vs. 4.8%, respectively), injuries to arms (11.3% vs. 9.8%), feet (8.4% vs. 8%), and back (0.9% vs. 0.7%). In the telephone survey, 61% and 43% reported that they performed monotonous work operations and heavy lifting often or very often, respectively. Thirty-three per cent had experienced pain in neck/shoulders/arms often or very often during the previous 12 months, and 93% believed this was fully or partly due to their work situation. The questionnaire among trawler crew members showed that 57% and 60% had experienced stiffness and/or pain in neck/ /shoulders and lower back/small of the back respectively during the previous 12 months. Conclusions: Data from the register study, telephone survey and questionnaire all confirmed that musculoskeletal problems are common among fishers and related to their work situation. However, 77% of the fishers in all vessel groups and on board the 5 trawlers reported their own health as being very good or good.

Population attributable fraction of indicators for musculoskeletal diseases: a cross-sectional study of fishers in Korea

“…Fishing has been reported as the most hazardous occupation, due to exposure to cold stress. 23 Pienimäki 24 explains that the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms increases as the duration of cold exposure increases. Working in a cold environment resulted in an elevated risk of OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.30–3.72) among male and OR: 1.6 (95% CI: 0.78–3.31) among female.…”

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Self-Reported Pain in Artisanal Fishermen from a Traditional Community in Todos-os-Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil

“…According to Remmen and contributors (2020) [ 15 ], in the systematic review of MSD in professional fishermen, there was a general MSD prevalence ranging from 15% to 93%. Other international studies have also demonstrated the presence of symptoms of MSD and musculoskeletal pain in fishermen from those countries: United States [ 16 ], Turkey [ 17 ], India [ 18 ], Norway [ 19 ], Denmark [ 20 ], Greece [ 21 ], Finland [ 22 ], China [ 23 ], and Spain [ 24 ], which highlights the difference in fishing activity in those countries and the general fishing industry, in relation to the predominant Brazilian scenario of small-scale artisanal fishing.…”