AN EVALUATION OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARDS AMONG FISHERMEN IN PONTIAN BESAR, JOHOR

Abstract

Malaysian fisheries industry has dynamic and competitive development and it is not obtained without the support and sacrifices by fishermen as a backbone of this sector. This study was carried out to assess the occupational safety and health hazards of fishermen in Pontian Besar, Johor. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the current state and to propose the prevention measure for occupational safety and health issues among fishermen. The respondent consist of registered fishermen and unregistered fishermen. The tools of the research used are questionnaire and Hazard Identification Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) form which involves mixed method. The researchers found twenty hazard identification based on job task of the fishermen that exposed to some hazards such as ergonomic, biological, physical, psychosocial, and natural. Six out of twenty hazards (30%) are considered as low risk and seven out of twenty (35%) respectively are recognized as medium and high risk. The results of the study shows that fishermen are highly exposed to ergonomic hazard. All the suggestions for the prevention measures for the risk control of the hazards are from the officers of Pontian Area Fishermen’s Association. This research is expected to raise awareness of the occupational safety and health hazards among fishermen and will be referenced to future researcher, policy makers, and other parties to take part in development of future plans.   Keywords: Safety; Health; Hazards; Fishermen