Sickness Absence and Hospitalization among Workers on Board Norwegian Fishing Vessels

Background: All over the world, commercial fishing is known to be a hazardous occupation. Although several causal analyses of occupational accidents have been published in recent years, knowledge of the prevalence of sick leave, diagnosis and hospitalization among workers on board Norwegian fishing vessels is still sparse.Objective: The objective of this study is to provide new knowledge about the prevalence of doctor-certified sick leave among Norwegian fishers compared to an age- and gender-matched control population. A comparison of diagnoses and hospitalizations between these groups is also presented.Methods: A sample of fishers (n = 25,971) was selected by Statistics Norway (SSB), based on occupation as fishers in 2008-2013. An age- and gender-matched control population (n = 77,913) was also selected. Outpatient consultation and hospitalization data were received from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR).Results: Fishers have significantly lower rates of sick leave than the general working population as a whole, but a significantly higher rate sick leave than an age- and gender-matched control population. The most common cause of sick leave in both fishers and controls was musculoskeletal problems. Fishers had a higher number of hospital stays than the control group; the stays were more often unscheduled and lasted longer than those of the control group.Conclusion: The results emphasize the continued need for preventive occupational health strategies in the fishing industry.