Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety for Marine Cage Culture: L-type Matrix Risk Analysis

As marine cage aquaculture continues to increase its volume in global protein food production, the demand for workers and labor continues to grow. This increasing demand, coupled with the fact that the industry is already risky in terms of occupational health and safety, makes risk assessment even more critical. The present study was conducted with engineers, trainees, and employees working at five different marine cage aquaculture facilities, as well as academicians from three different universities. As a result of the questionnaire conducted using the L-type 5x5 matrix method, the areas with the highest risk assessment scores (RASs) were identified as net cages (RAS: 9.7±3.3), ports (RAS: 10.0±2.0) and package units-cold storage (RAS: 9.6±3.3). Although no significant differences were observed among the occupational groups, significant variations were noted based on the working area (p>0.05). Notable differences in opinions were observed, particularly between academicians/trainees and engineers/employees. As a result, this study will serve as a guideline for both marine cage aquaculture facilities and all personnel, as well as for future research.