Something sounds fishy: mitigating noise aboard small industrial craft
I’d never before pondered that fish and noise might—even indirectly—have anything to do with each other. Little did I know! Sure, fish do tend to be quiet, but the process of harvesting them most assuredly does not.
With high casualty, accident, and injury rates, fish harvesting ranks as one of the world’s most dangerous industries. Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) and Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) literature from coastal communities not only confirms this; it also highlights noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as a primary health hazard among fish harvesters. What these regulatory bodies haven’t addressed is the noise-induced fatigue caused by insufficiently sound-attenuated crew quarters. Cumulative health effects of noise exposure over time also include cardiovascular stress, which can lead to high blood pressure and dizziness.
