Analysis of occupational accidents on board fishing vessels – What scope of regulations to prevent accidents involving deck machinery?

• Deck machinery is essential for maneuvering fishing gear on board fishing vessels. • On board fishing vessels deck machinery is involved in the most serious accidents. • The enforcement of regulation in preventing these accidents proves limited. • To prevent these accidents the effectiveness of regulation has limited impact. • Deck machinery design and regulation are relevant levers of change in prevention. Sea fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations and various studies show that deck machinery is often involved in the most serious accidents. In terms of health and safety, European and French regulations provide design requirements for these devices and for the layout of workstations on board fishing vessels. The aim of this article is to analyze accidents involving hauling and hoisting gear on board French fishing vessels between 2016 and 2023 and to examine the impact of the regulations that aim to prevent them. To this end, mixed methods research was carried out. It combines quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative analysis is based on a statistical approach (Chi2 calculations) of data contained in forms describing the circumstances of the accidents. To better understand the causal factors of these accidents, a qualitative method of three accidents was undertaken, using the causal tree method (CTM). The quantitative analysis shows that out of 5649 accidents, 262 were caused by hauling or hoisting gear. There is a highly significant relationship between the involvement of this element and the severity of the accident, the accidental process and the operation performed. The qualitative analysis highlights the role of organizational and especially technical factors related to the design of fishing vessels and gear. For both levels of analysis, results highlight the limited impact of regulations in terms of both enforcement and effectiveness. They also question the ability of regulations to be a resource for prevention and lead to proposals for different courses of action.