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Fishing is, according to an ILO report published in 1999, amongst the most dangerous of all professions. As many as 24,000 people are killed each year around the world while working in the fisheries sector.

The information provided here is intended to assist those practically involved in reducing the risk to workers of death, ill-health, and injury in the fisheries sector. This sector is not limited to seafishing, but also includes activities such as fishfarming.

Much of the information provided is available directly from the national sources, but the links given here may speed up the search process. As much of the information as possible that is listed here is free of charge, but there may be some links to sites where there is priced documentation. Also, some sites may require registration even if the material is subsequently free.

The site seeks to provide links to information specific to the fisheries sector. However some links to general information about identified priority risks are also given. (For example general information on issues such as manual handling)

Using the information to tackle workplace risks: It is most important that before "good practice" is implemented in the workplace, a suitable and sufficient assessment of the hazards and risks in the workplace is carried out. This assessment should consider all the risks and hazards in the workplace to ensure that there is a real reduction in the exposure of workers and others to harm rather than merely replacing one risk with another:

A risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can judge whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. The aim is to make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill. A risk assessment involves identifying the hazards present in any undertaking (whether arising from work activities or from other factors, e.g. the layout of the premises) and then evaluating the extent of the risks involved, taking into account existing precautions. The results of a suitable and sufficient risk assessment should help users choose which good practice measures are most appropriate.

Using pictorial information: Some of the documents contain useful pictorial information and diagrams. Again caution is needed in the use of these by readers who can not understand the language of the accompanying text explaining the diagrams and their use.

Language: Where sites provide information in languages other than the main language of the site an attempt has been made to indicated this in the description of the site. For example some Canadian information is available in French. Some USA information is available in Spanish. Some Finnish information is available in English. Some of the European Agency information is available in all the European Community languages. Some of the ILO information can be read in various languages