A recent survey by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup has revealed that working on or near the sea is the most hazardous profession. Categorized as “ocean workers,” this group reported significantly higher injury rates compared to shoreside industries, with 25% experiencing harm on the job in the past two years—seven points above the global average and more than double the utility sector’s injury rate.
The survey also highlighted a lack of safety training among ocean workers, with only 32% having received occupational safety and health training, compared to 38% in other sectors. Additionally, cultural norms discourage reporting injuries; only 41% of those injured at sea reported the incidents, which is 10 points lower than the average across all industries.
Exposure to severe weather is another significant risk for ocean workers, with 33% reporting serious harm from such conditions, compared to 20% in other fields. However, the findings may not fully represent risks faced by commercial maritime workers, as the survey includes fishing industry data, known for its higher fatality rates. In the U.S., the fishing industry’s workplace fatality rate is 28 times the national average, with around 100,000 deaths globally each year, many of which go unreported.
