Commercial fishermen work with heavy equipment daily, including the winch used to haul the catch aboard. A trawl winch can cause serious accidents if not working properly, if misused, or if a worker makes a mistake while working with it. If you work with a trawl winch, know your rights in the event of an accident and rely on a professional maritime attorney to guide you through any claims.
About Fishing Trawlers and Winches
Fishing trawlers are among the most dangerous workplaces in the world. The commercial fishing industry is the most hazardous to work in, with more injuries and fatalities from accidents than in any other type of work, in any industry.
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There are several reasons that this type of work is so hazardous, from rough waters to falls overboard to cold weather and heavy, complicated, and dangerous equipment. The winch aboard fishing trawlers is just one of many of these sources of risk for fishermen.
Trawl winches are used on many commercial fishing boats, including seiners and trawlers. A winch is a mechanical piece of equipment used to wind in fishing nets or let them out.
It acts to adjust the tension in a rope or line to make the net or other fishing equipment move up toward the boat or let it out into the water.
Simple hand crank winches are used on recreational fishing boats, but for larger commercial vessels, winches are bigger and powered by a motor. These are especially dangerous to work with, especially for workers who don’t have experience or training.
How Common Are Accidents with Winches?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), commercial fishing has the greatest number of fatalities of any industry. The CDC investigated the contribution of winches to both deaths and injuries by looking at all fishing accidents in shrimping boats from 2000 to 2011:
- The results showed 35 accidents with winches during that time, eight of which were fatal.
- The results also determined that accidents involving the winch’s drum, or spool, were most likely to lead to deaths.
- Nearly half of the accidents, including both fatal and non-fatal, included an article of clothing getting caught in the equipment, a terrifying situation for any worker.
- Another study of a different group of fishermen and vessels in the commercial fishing industry found that about one-quarter of accidents involved a winch or ropes and lines.
Common Accidents and Injuries on Trawlers
A few different types of accidents can occur on a fishing trawler involving the winch.
Getting Caught in Nets and Lines
A common type of incident is when a worker gets caught or tangled in the equipment. The action of the winch causes lines and nets to move quickly, and a worker standing in the wrong spot at the wrong time can get caught up in the ropes or net, get tangled, and get hurt by the lines or get dragged overboard.
Getting Caught in the Winch
Workers can also get caught or entangled in the winch itself. This usually starts with a loose article of clothing catching in the winch.
Any loose bit of clothing can get caught in the equipment, especially in windy or rough conditions when the ship is moving around, and an otherwise careful worker ends up too close to the winch. These incidents lead to the most serious injuries and deaths.
Examples of Winch Accidents
In one tragic example of a fishing trawl winch accident, a worker died aboard a vessel in the English Channel in 2011. The worker had stopped working to disentangle a hose from a net hauled aboard the fishing vessel.
Another worker made a hand signal that was misinterpreted by those operating the winch. They began to haul in the fishing equipment while the worker stood on the net working on the tangled parts.
He got trapped between the net and the winch and died from injuries. A simple miscommunication led to the death of a worker.
In a non-fatal but still tragic incident in 2013, a young worker lost his hand in a winch accident. The junior deckhand, still in his teens, was working aboard a scallop dredger off the coast of the United Kingdom.
His hand became caught in the winch. Attempts to save it were unsuccessful, and his hand needed to be amputated. This incident highlights the role that inexperience can play in such accidents.
Although this could happen to any worker, the young man’s lack of experience is likely to have played a role in his accident.
Causes of Winch Accidents
Working with winches is inherently risky, with even the most experienced seamen in danger of getting caught in them accidentally, but most accidents are preventable.
- Snagged Clothing. The most common cause of accidents with winches is clothing being snagged in the machinery. This could be prevented by workers being trained to understand what clothing is appropriate and how to wear it.
- Inappropriate Clothing. Loose articles of clothing, like ill-fitting gloves or a coat that is not buttoned or zipped up, can easily get caught. Employers are responsible for ensuring workers have the right clothes and know the risks of getting clothing too close to the winch.
- Lack of Equipment Maintenance. Accidents are also caused by poorly maintained equipment. If the equipment is not working correctly, it can cause accidents and injuries.
- Inadequate worker training. Workers who don’t know how to use the equipment may make serious errors that lead to injuries. Workers should also be trained to know where to stand to avoid getting caught in nets and lines.
- Poor Communication. Workers also need communication training to ensure the winch can be stopped in an emergency or to warn each other when they are in harm’s way.
Injured Workers’ Rights under Maritime Law
If you work as a commercial fisherman, you have rights according to maritime law. These include the right to compensation if you are injured or compensation for your dependent loved ones if you die at work.
Whether or not negligence is involved, you have a right to money to cover your medical bills and provide for your living expenses if you cannot work for a period due to your injuries, thanks to maintenance and cure.
If you are out of work for a period of time because of an on-the-job accident, that coverage is your right. You shouldn’t have to file a claim for this.
If you qualify as a seaman and prove that your employer was negligent in your injuries, you may be entitled to even more compensation through the Jones Act.
This law provides money to cover lost wages, future earnings, and pain and suffering for you or your loved ones in the worst-case scenario. If you aren’t sure where you stand or what your rights are, you can rely on a maritime lawyer to help you navigate the often-confusing world of maritime law.