SoCal Aquaponics Team Blog

Aquaponics operation owners must take seriously their responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. The loss of workers due to accident and injury can pose serious down-time, require training of new and in-experienced workers, increase Workers Compensation rates and pose legal liabilities. While the presence of a well thought-out risk management strategy might not prevent all accidents from occurring, it will assist in the demonstration of due diligence.

Step 1: Assess the Risk

This will help you to decide which hazards should be taken care of immediately. If the hazard is likely to result in damage to the boat, equipment and/or persons, then it must be corrected immediately. Also, this information can be used to help decide what to inspect, and how often.

Every business has an element of risk – the aquaponics business is no different. Whether the operation cultures mussels or oysters or grows finfish, the business will have potential hazards that could impact the health and safety of all workers. Employers need to make sure that workers can enjoy a safe workplace by adhering to health and safety regulations, providing appropriate and adequate supervision and ensuring that all workers have the necessary training and equipment to do their jobs safely.

If a hazard has been identified, assess the risk by examining;

* The likelihood of the hazard resulting in injury to the crew or other persons - is it likely or unlikely to occur?
* The likelihood of the hazard resulting in damage to the boat or equipment, and
* The severity of the incident - could it cause death, serious injury, or minor injury?

To assess the risk of a hazard hurting someone, ask questions like:

• How many people come in contact with the hazard?
• How often?
• How seriously could someone be harmed?
• How quickly could a dangerous situation come up if something goes wrong?

Step 2: Identify the Hazard

Employers need to obtain and read the manuals and safety sheets that are provided by equipment, machinery, and chemical manufacturers. Employers should also develop and implement communication and emergency plans to allow for a timely response in the event of an incident.

ll tasks, equipment and substances should be examined. When listing hazards use:

• Information from past incidents and workplace injuries
• Information from your families, workers, neighbors
• Product literature and information from suppliers
• Best industry practices
• Sight, smell, touch and hearing senses
• Close examination of areas or activities where children or visitors may be present

Job tasks which involve hazards that could cause physical harm need to be examined. The following information will assist in identifying the hazards and putting procedures in place to deal with the associated risks on an aquaculture operation.
A hazard is any situation, activity, procedure, piece of equipment/machinery or fish that may cause harm or injury to a person.

Common hazards that mussel, oyster and finfish growers face in the routine operation of their leases and farms are covered in the Prince Edward Island Aquaculture Occupational Health and Safety Code of Practice. These include:

• The work environment (inclement weather, heat, cold, sun)
• Machinery and equipment (hydraulics, boat stability)
• Navigation
• Diving
• Fish handling (needle-stick injuries, cuts)
• Electricity
• Workplace layout (ladders, decks)
• Combustible materials (gas, diesel)
• Working alone

A health and safety plan should be developed to ensure that every reasonable step was taken to prevent an incident from occurring. Health and safety plans can be used to prove due diligence in legal matters.

This article is courtesy of www.thefishsite.com/articles/551/aquaculture-safety-planning