It has become safer to work at sea during the recent years. The number of reported occupational injuries is significantly lower, and this is not only due to the lower level of activity at sea following the corona pandemic.
Safety at sea is moving forward. Thus, in 2021, a total of 470 occupational injuries were reported to the Danish Shipowners’ Accident Insurance Association (UFDS), which is an increase of 12 percent compared to 2020. The coronavirus pandemic did however put a big damper on activity levels in some industries in 2020, while 2021 saw a significant rise on the same parameters.
The 470 reported injuries also represent a substantial decrease compared to the years 2017 to 2019, when the number of reported injuries were between 600 and 650. A lower level of activity in the passenger/service and offshore segments is part of the explanation, but not the whole one.
»Shipping companies have had an increased focus on safety on board for some time now, which is clearly visible in the damage statistics. It is gratifying to see the positive development in the number of occupational injuries,« Lars Henneberg, Chairman of UFDS, said at the annual general meeting.
UFDS is very pleased that the increased focus on safety at sea seems to be yielding results. First and foremost, it is satisfying to observe that going to work at sea is safe for the employees, but it is also an important signal that Denmark sends as a leading maritime nation.
»This is a gratifying development that we hope will continue. When occupational injuries do happen, UFDS makes a difference on the social aspect through financial protection of the injured party and proactive handling of injuries so that he or she is helped through the injury process and back into the workplace in the best possible way,« Lars Henneberg said at the AGM.
