"In God's pocket": accidents, injuries, and perceptions of risk among contemporary Newfoundland fish harvesters

Brennan, Sandra Lee (2008) "In God's pocket": accidents, injuries, and perceptions of risk among contemporary Newfoundland fish harvesters. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

As research in provincial, national and international contexts has shown, commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations. Different approaches to risk and perceptions of risk (such as biophysical, structural, cultural, and human capital) often examine safety from a single perspective, resulting in partial understandings of the causes of accident and injury. This thesis presents fish harvesters' observations on safety at sea through their descriptions of risky events, accidents and near-misses, and their views on the effectiveness of recent safety initiatives, in an effort to create a more multidimensional understanding of risk and accidents at sea. Major findings include insights about the cascading effects of risk factors seen through the eyes of harvesters and their perceptions of the unintended safety consequences of conservation regulations. Tomer and colleagues' (1999) participatory safety intervention process is proposed as an effective way to address the interactive nature of such risk factors and improve prevention.

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