Ship first: Seafarers’ adjustment of records on work and rest hours

Baumler, Raphael; Bhatia, Bikram Singh; Kitada, Momoko

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104186

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Studies suggest that the maritime industry was already operating at the limit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, regulations related to crewing numbers, length of time on board and work hours were often applied to the limit; when it was not possible to meet the limits concerning work and rest hours, in some cases records were adjusted ( Baumler et al, 2021 ). Hence the industry is known for long working hours, as well as high levels of stress, burnout, and fatigue ( Chung et al, 2017 , Håvold, 2015 , Jepsen et al, 2017 , Oldenburg et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of seafarers: A comparison using matched samples

2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to curb its transmission have altered workplaces and challenged occupational health and safety in unprecedented ways, with high levels of mental distress reported across several industries. In the maritime industry, occupational health and safety risks, including psychosocial risks, were a concern already before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, knowledge about the prevalence of mental health problems and the factors associated with them is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the effects of respondent and work-related characteristics on seafarers’ self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Data came from two cross-sectional convenience samples of seafarers on international commercial vessels, surveyed before (N pre-pandemic = 793) and during the pandemic (N pandemic = 504). Matching the two samples on respondent and work-related characteristics using propensity scores, we found that the pandemic contributed to significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety. Further analyses showed that seafarers with longer work periods, those who had been on board longer than expected, and those working on vessels registered with “Flags of Convenience” reported significantly higher levels of both depression and anxiety during the pandemic, but not prior to the pandemic. Taken together, these findings suggest that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a deterioration of working conditions and increased mental health risks for seafarers. Practical implications for safe-guarding occupational health and safety during this and future crises are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of seafarers: A comparison using matched samples

2022

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“…All 108 German shipping companies that manage or own at least one container vessel were contacted and asked to participate in this study. It is known that the workload aboard depends on the vessel’s shipping route (Baumler et al 2020 ; Lochner and Duenser 2018 ). Particularly container ships with a shipping route in the North or Baltic Sea are subject to high proportions of port handling and only short sea passages, which the seafarers can often use to relax and recover from port-related stress.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are there differences between officers and ratings on merchant vessels concerning effort–reward imbalance: a cross-sectional maritime field study

Oldenburg

Jensen

2021

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Purpose Today, measures to economise in the operation of ships can cause either an effort–reward imbalance or health impairments. The goal of this study was to assess the risk of effort–reward imbalance including overcommitment among officers and ratings on merchant vessels during their assignments and to evaluate lifestyle factors of seafarers as well as the health-promoting conditions on board. Methods A study sample of 308 male seafarers was examined during a total of 20 sea voyages on German container ships (participation rate 91.9%). Results Only 11 seafarers were identified as having an increased health risk of an effort–reward imbalance (ER ratio > 1). Officers tended to have a higher risk of an elevated ratio than ratings (4.4% vs. 3.1%) and also showed a significantly higher risk of an ER ratio above the median (58.8% vs. 41.8%; p = 0.022). Compared to land-based populations, the average overcommitment score of seafarers was high (17.9)—particularly among officers (20.3 vs. 16.5; p = 0.031). This corresponded to an elevated risk of overcommitment among officers compared to ratings (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.78–2.37). This elevated risk remained significant after adjustment for age (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.76–2.35) and job-related stressors. Conclusion Although an elevated risk of effort–reward imbalance was only observed in few seafarers, this study revealed a high prevalence of overcommitment particularly among officers. In the course of time, overcommitment can lead to mental exhaustion. Therefore, shipboard health-promoting conditions need to be optimised.

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“…Importantly, however, the extent to which it is possible to postpone or omit tasks is limited by the need to ensure the safety of the vessel and the crew, and by legal constraints. Although questions about illegal practices were avoided in the current study, such practices have been documented elsewhere (Baumler et al, 2021;Bhattacharya & Tang, 2012).…”

Section: Limitations Of Coping Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Team Play”: Seafarers’ Strategies for Coping with Job Demands of Short Sea Cargo Shipping Lines

Pauksztat¹

2023

Maritime Professions

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Ship first: Seafarers’ adjustment of records on work and rest hours

Cited by 31 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of seafarers: A comparison using matched samples

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of seafarers: A comparison using matched samples

Are there differences between officers and ratings on merchant vessels concerning effort–reward imbalance: a cross-sectional maritime field study

“Team Play”: Seafarers’ Strategies for Coping with Job Demands of Short Sea Cargo Shipping Lines

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