Domestic Fishermen Suffer Most from Back Disorders

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Haeyoung Kwon] The most common illness among domestic fishermen is back disorders, and the most frequent injury occurs from slipping accidents while working on fishing vessels.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries disclosed the results of the 2019 survey on fishermen's disease and injury experiences on the 30th.

Among fishermen, 5.3% took at least one day off in a year due to illness caused by fishing activities, and 3.2% took at least one day off due to injuries sustained during fishing activities.

Among fishermen who took a day or more off due to illness in a year, musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 46.2% of cases. The most affected area for musculoskeletal disorders was the back (35.5%). This was followed by the knees at 16.8%, hands/wrists at 15.7%, and shoulders at 13.2%.

After musculoskeletal disorders, digestive system and liver diseases (9.1%) and circulatory system diseases (8.0%) were also commonly reported. The leading cause of these illnesses was identified as "uncomfortable posture" (22.7%). This was followed by stress (17.5%), repetitive motions (13.9%), excessive force or handling of heavy objects (13.0%), and long working hours (6.1%).

Fishermen who took at least one day off due to injuries sustained during fishing reported slipping or falling accidents (52.0%) as the most common cause. Next was physical reactions caused by excessive force or movements at 29.9%. Collisions/contact accidents (5.6%) and entrapment/caught accidents (3.1%) followed.

Work-related injuries occurred most frequently during work (77.8%) rather than before or after work. The locations where injuries occurred were fishing vessels during fishing (43.1%), fish farms (29.2%), mudflats (14.1%), and docked fishing vessels (6.2%), in that order.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.