Transportation Safety Board pushes for stricter equipment use after deadliest fishing year since 2004

Safety concerns raised by the Transportation Safety Board's recent report are rippling across British Columbia's marine community and leading some in the industry to call for faster culture change — particularly when it comes to using safety equipment.

The TSB released its Watchlist 2018 this week, flagging what it calls a "disturbing safety record" of the fishing industry.

So far in 2018, 17 people have died aboard fishing vessels in Canada — the deadliest year in more than a decade.

"There is a bit of an attitude that it will always happen to the other guy," said Glenn Budden, a senior investigator for fishing vessels with the Transportation Safety Board in B.C.

"When we do investigations, we hear that quite a bit."

Personal floatation devices

Between 2011 and 2017, almost 43 per cent of deaths were due to a crew member falling overboard.

Wearing a personal flotation device drastically increases the chance of survival in cases like that, Budden said, but some fisheries still haven't changed their "old school behaviour" of not using PFDs.

"We're seeing some change, slowly, in isolated pockets and in certain fisheries where we have near 100 per cent compliance [wearing PFDs] but then we have other fisheries where we don't see any compliance whatsoever," he said.

"On a sadder note, we see increased usage after a fatal accident."

Education and awareness are key to increasing the usage of safety equipment but take time to take root.

"It is frustrating because we would like to see it move a lot faster, that culture change to come in a lot faster," he said.

Recommendations and risks

It's not required to wear a PFD, unless there is a risk of drowning.

"As far as we are concerned, as soon as you step on the deck of the boat, you are at risk of drowning," Budden told Gregor Craigie, the host of CBC's On The Island.

That's why the safety board has issued a recommendation to Transport Canada and WorkSafeB.C. to tighten up PFD requirements and make them mandatory.

"Transport Canada will take that recommendation back to industry and do a consultation process and try and find the best way to address and eliminate that safety deficiency," he said.

Ultimately, it's not up to the Transportation Safety Board in B.C. to enforce safety measures, he said.

"We're not the regulators," Budden said.

"We find safety deficiencies when we do investigations and the strongest safety action that we can take is to make a recommendation."   

With files from On The Island.