Background: Limited access to medical care can be considered as an occupational risk of seafaring and it may predispose to developing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospital care. We sought to investigate the risk for CAP and other lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) requiring hospital care among seafarers. We examined the length of hospital stay (LOS) as a proxy for severity of illness. Methods: The study population in this panel data analysis were all seafarers and a 20% random sample of economically active individuals aged 18–65 years who were residing in Denmark in 1997–2016, constituting more than 11 million person-years of follow-up. Annually-registered socio-demographic and work characteristics were linked to data on cause of hospital admissions. We used fixed-effects and zero-truncated Poisson regression to estimate the rate ratios of hospitalization for CAP and other LRTI, and compared LOS across the two populations. Results: The adjusted incident rate ratio (IRR) for CAP in seafarers compared to the economically active population was 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–1.77), whereas the IRR was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.38–1.42) for other LRTI. For LOS, the IRRs for CAP and other LRTI in seafarers were 1.08 (95% CI: 1.04–1.12) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.83–1.01), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that seafaring was associated with an increased risk for CAP requiring hospital care. Limited access to health care may be an important contributing factor.
Objectives Characterisation of worker injuries on board merchant ships is modest. Using telemedical service contacts in Denmark, we describe the worker injuries patterns and factors related to injury incidence. Methods The data for this study were based on contacts (n=1401) from ships to Telemedical Assistance Service (TMAS) in Denmark in 2004–2014, which were supplemented with data on the annual estimation of all seafarers from the Danish Maritime Authority (n=73 336). The final data included information on broad age groups, occupation and nationality. The outcomes were injuries from any cause and six broad categories of injuries characterised by anatomic location or type of injury. Results During the observation period of 11 years, there were 1401 contacts to TMAS due to injuries, of which 36% were in upper limb, 18% in lower limb and 13% in the head. Age-adjusted incidence rates for all injuries varied between 13.6 and 26.8 incidences per 1000 person-years in 2004–2014. In most types of injuries, younger and older seafarers had higher risk for injuries than seafarers aged 30–49 years. Depending on the type of injury, non-officers had threefold to fivefold increased odds of injuries compared with officers, the risk being highest for head injuries with an OR of 5.00 (95% CI 3.19 to 7.83). Non-officers from the European Union (EU) had higher risk in most types of injuries than non-officers from outside the EU, whereas the pattern of this risk was inverse among officers. Conclusions These findings suggest that non-officers and European seafarers have an increased risk for several types of injuries on board Danish-flagged merchant ships. Additionally, age affected risk with the younger (<30 years) and older (>50 years) seafarers having increased risk.
Projektet gennemfører en antropologisk analyse af forholdet mellem a) smarte teknologier (fx automation, smarte algoritmer eller drone- og vision-teknologier) b) fagpersoner ombord ifm. navigation) c) fagpersoner og beslutningstagere i rederiorganisation (som bestillere af ny teknologi) og d) udviklervirksomhederne (som designere af fremtidens løsninger) for at afklare, hvilke ikke-tekniske aspekter, der skal tages højde for og hvilke nye samarbejdsformer, der er behov for, og hvordan disse understøttes organisatorisk, når nærmeste ’kollega’ for fagpersonerne ombord bliver en robot eller en automatiseret teknologi. Fokus i projektet vil være på, hvordan samarbejdet mellem medarbejder/leder og robot/drone/teknologi skal/kan organiseres, samt hvordan de nye typer ’kolleger’ vil påvirke organiseringen af samarbejdet.
This report presents both the quantitative and qualitative results of a study on bullying and harassment in the Danish merchant fleet. The Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs asked the
Danish Maritime Authority to conduct an external study of the extent of bullying and harassment among seafarers on Danish vessels. This task was assigned to the Centre of Maritime Health and Society at the University of Southern Denmark. The Commission for the study (in Danish) may be found on the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs website. The report consists of seven chapters, and only the results are presented, by request from the Danish Maritime Authority. An English “Literature review” is made in a separate annex, with an analysis of other international research studies within the area of bullying and harassment. This has been requested by the Danish Maritime Authority. It is permitted to quote the results in the report on the condition that the University of Southern Denmark and the Centre of Maritime Health and Society is credited as the source.
Seafarers and fishers have inequity in health at work, with a higher risk of having metabolic syndrome. They are at increased risk of developing prediabetes, which can be reversed to normoglycemia based on the evidence from other industries. This study aims to educate and activate seafarers and fishermen with the support of coaches to reverse their prediabetes to stop the further development of diabetes type 2.
Methods
Random samples of seafarers and fishermen with newly diagnosed prediabetes and HbA1c levels ranging from 5.7%-6.4% from the maritime medical health examinations constitute the study population in a 16-week prediabetes coaching program. In addition to monthly Zoom meetings, they are asked to provide weekly reports via questionnaires on personal measurements and improvements in physical activity and diets.
Results
The preliminary data from 2 maritime clinics (n=405) show prevalences of prediabetes 18.8%, 36.4%, and 49.2% in the ages 20-29, 30-49, and 50+ years respectively, all p-values < 0.02.
Analysis of the clinical data from the maritime health clinics and the questionnaires from the seafarers collected weekly will formulate the effect of the intervention. Summarizing data from various national prediabetes coaching fora will be the evidence base for remission of prediabetes.
Conclusions
A significant portion of seafarers have prediabetes with the potential to achieve remission of their pre-diabetes by eating healthy and being physically active. The goals are to lose at least 5%–7% of their starting weight, be accustomed to doing at least 150 min. of physical activity weekly, and follow a pre-diabetes-relevant dietary plan.
Within realistic time constraints we successfully trained six occupational health and safety professionals in applying a Design Thinking (DT) approach to solve complex musculoskeletal and psychosocial problems at work. DT may be defined by the double diamond model pointing to a non-linear and user-centred problem-solving process iterating through divergent and convergent phases A key characteristic of DT is the ability to frame a problematic situation in new and interesting ways. The training was done in a full-day workshop followed by a learning-by-doing phase in which they planned and completed design sprint workshops in companies. The professionals went from novices into advanced beginners according to the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. In the overall question of the usefulness of DT in OHS management, the average rating went from 6 before the training course to 9.5 after. In an evaluation of the DT approach on a 1–5 scale they rated design sprints at 3.8 to be more appropriate to manage complex problems than the methods they normally used. However, more experience seems necessary to adopt the DT mind set of an iterative process, in which they need to decide which tools to use in an emergent, nonlinear and iterative fashion.
This book explores the transformation of Danish shipbuilding from 1975-2015. Specifically it expores the closure of B&W Shipyard in 1980, Nakskov Shipyard in 1986, Aalborg Shipyard in 1987-88, Burmeister and Wain Shipyard in 1996 and Danyard Frederikshavn in 1999. The author identifies 27 firms that were spun out during the closure of five Danish shipyards and finds that several of these firms were able to apply the inherent resources in new activities with more value added. The book also finds that the competencies of the redundant workers from the four shipyards were useful in other parts of the Danish labor market. The book sheds new light how internal and external factors influence the transformation of mature industries.
Med inspiration i Schumpeters teorier om kreativ destruktion undersøger denne artikel centrale aspekter af omstillingerne i dansk erhvervsliv i forbindelse med 1980'ernes og 1990'ernes fire største danske værftslukninger. Det drejer sig om B&W i 1980, Nakskov Skibsværft i 1986, Aalborg Værft i 1987-88 og endelig Danyard Frederikshavn, der lukkede i 1999. Artiklen identificerer 27 spin-off virksomheder, som videreførte forskellige aktiviteter fra de lukkede værfter, og følger deres udvikling frem til 2013. Artiklen dokumenterer, at gruppen af spinn-off virksomheder i årene omkring 2013 havde en omsætning svarende til de gamle værfters omkring 1975. Mens nogle spin-offs ophørte efter få år, formåede de tilbageværende 12 virksomheder at generere langt højere overskud end de værfter, de opstod fra. Artiklen kaster dermed nyt lys på centrale omstillings- og fornyelsesprocesser i dansk erhvervsliv igennem de sidste tre årtier.
Profitable energy saving measures are often not fully implemented in shipping, causing energy efficiency gaps. The paper identifies energy efficiency gaps in ship operations, and explores their causes. Lack of information on energy efficiency, lack of energy training at sea and onshore and lack of time to produce and provide reliable energy efficiency information cause energy efficiency gaps. The paper brings together the energy efficiency and ship management literatures, demonstrating how ship management models influence energy efficiency in ship operations. Achieving energy efficiency in ship operations is particularly challenging under third party ship management. Finally, the paper discusses management implications for shipping companies, which outsource ship management to third parties.
This article seeks to provide a sociological understanding both of the logistics service field and of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on this field. To address this issue, we analyze the case of logistics services used by the shipping industry to manage maritime safety, namely statutory and classification services. These services verify the compliance of shipping vessels with private and public safety norms. We develop the Bourdieusian concept of nomos, according to three dimensions: A normative framework, a legitimate vision, and structural divisions. The findings highlight a complex set of industrial and regulatory norms which give rise to complementary and sometimes overlapping obligations. Nomos materializes as some actors, typically IACS member societies, benefit from an uncontested legitimacy to deliver such services, whereas other actors are excluded for a variety of reasons.