Guidelines for Health and Safety on Board Small Fishing Boats

This booklet has been put together by fishermen for fishermen to give some guidelines on the safe operation of fishing vessels 24m or less in size. Everyone aboard is encouraged to regularly refer to this booklet. It is intended to help you put in place training, practices and procedures that ensure you operate safely and reduce losses due to injury, accident or incidents on your vessel

The information in these guidelines is based on practical experience and hard-earned knowledge from past accidents and incidents. The guidelines offer information and a “best practice” approach to the normal hazards and dangers found on small fishing vessels. It is acknowledged that every fishing vessel, and type of fishing operation, is unique, so there are no easy “one size fits all” answers to safety issues. The intention is for owners, skippers and crew to use this material as a starting point and guide when considering how to make sure that the processes, procedures and general operation of their vessel is both safe and efficient.

The guidelines, while not legislative, go hand in hand with the FishSAFE Safety Passport which gives a simple and effective way of putting induction and training processes into place. This help owners, skippers and crew meet their legal obligations under the Health & Safety in Employment Act (HSE Act) and Maritime Rules (particularly Safe Ship Management (SSM)). The completed Safety Passport also qualifies them for the ACC levy reduction scheme agreed between FishSafe and ACC.

The guidelines cannot contain all the answers to every hazard or danger. Likewise it may be that the solutions or techniques they offer do not apply to your vessel or operation for practical or economic reasons. In these cases it is hoped that the guidelines, training and FishSafe network have provided the framework and approach for you to put your unique solutions into place.

The guidelines are meant to be an evolving document and they will need updating and amendment at some time in the future. Where techniques differ or you consider there is an error in these guidelines FishSAFE needs to hear from you!

Please contact FishSAFE via www.fishsafe.org.nz to forward suggested amendments.

Please contact FishSAFE via www.fishsafe.org.nz to find out more about training and support for improving safety on your vessel, and how to qualify for ACC levy reductions.