Occupational Epidemiology/Research tools/Research program for the Thesis topics

Student´s theses in maritime health and safety monitoring program
The Occupational Safety and Health Institute NFA has been monitoring the occupational health and safety environment for many years, something similar has never been done for the maritime industry. MSS has sought without success to get funding from DMF to conduct a pilot study as the first part of a work environment monitoring at sea. Further, in the recent years, several MScPublic health students completed their Thesis as a maritime working environment study in various marine groups. Among other things, this is a successful study of the working environment with the Port Workers in Denmark. In connection with the application for financial resources from the DMF, we had contact with some unions in the maritime industry who showed interest. In addition, we have previously had good contacts and meetings with the seamen's wife associations. It is now the idea to try to carry out a monitoring of the working environment at sea without funds from the DMF but as student assignments with expert guidance from the researchers. Contact and meetings with each of the possible partners must be made within the next half year's time.

Students´s thesis synopsis
During the internship the stuudent make the literature review and a project protocol under supervision

1. Theses based on cross-sectional studies:

 * 1) The Association of Engineers at sea
 * 2) 3F The sailors, Copenhagen
 * 3) Maritime Managers, Copenhagen
 * 4) The dock workers in Denmark
 * 5) Offshore workers in oil-and gas drilling and production and wind energy
 * 6) Seaman's wifes organisations

2. Theses based on health examination data
Samples of 1000-2000 recordings for each group every 3-4 years
 * 1) Health examinations for seafarers
 * 2) Health examinations for fishermen

Coordination in CMSS not to overlap with other projects
The project will announced at a staff meeting in Nov 2019. So far no one else has announced any projects based on based on similar cross-sectional data and there is no risk of overlap. For the health examination studies, there are ongoing projects in CMSS. Collaboration with our colleagues in CMSS will solve any problems with overlap and help to get access to the data in the Danish Maritime Authority and the national statistics.

Current projects for seafarers in CMSS
None of these projects use similar cross-sectional data or the health examination data
 * 1) Fatigue
 * 2) Maritime medical practitioners' service profile compared to general practitioners
 * 3) PolSEA (Policing at SEA)
 * 4) Situation Awareness in regard to energy efficiency on ships
 * 5) The maritime Telemedicine Healthcare System

Current project for fishermen in CMSS

 * 1) State of health and health promotion needs in fishermen (to be clarified for overlap and/or reuse of data from health examinations)

Ethical requirements
As the study does not involve blood sampling and since participation in the study is entirely voluntary after informed consent, the study does not involve ethical issues. All data will be processed in accordance with the Doctors' Confidentiality Act, and guidelines for good epidemiological practice will be followed. The anonymity of the participants will be assured in every way and this will be stated in the project description and the schedule. It will be ensured that the electronic form is locked so that the information cannot be seen by anyone other than the researchers.

Dissemination of results
Based on the Thesis, a power point and a summary with the main results will be handed over to the union representatives to be presented in their meetings and conferences, newspapers, on the websites. In some cases a scientific article is prepared for publication with the help from the supervisors as main authors or co-authors after agreements.

Collaboration with the unions
Meetings with the unions will clarify which of them are interested to collaborate in this project and the expected benefits for them, they will recieve a copy of the Thesis, with the abstract and a short Power Point for their internal use.

Announcements for the students
Announcements will be publsihed step by step as we get acceptance from the unions.

Program planning
As we are depending on what is possible we need a good long time to plan it and negociate with our future partners. If we start or if we plan to present this first draft of the product protocol in mid of October then we will have the first have year to take contact to the possible participants for the cross-sectional studies. Of course there is also a need to have a continuous contact with them. We have to discuss and we have two in there to have to agree the expectations of what comes out of it. What to do first, let’s go and visit the gym and all the 3-F fishermen Henning Madsen and have a talk with him. I think he will be interested. The seafarers´wives will probably be interested. Also the engineers we can visit in for the nice yeah I think will even in Esbjerg, then later: the contact to those who only have offices in Copenhagen. The navigators and the 3F-Seafarers. We probably have to make a standard agreement with them on what they can expect will come out of it and what we expect from them. But assemble it will be possible if we follow the same meetings addresses or yes to see how many disappear from the files and then we know some something about why if we ask them also if they plan to continue for a

Presentation in CMSS
We have to think how we present the intention so that we do not make them angry with us and especially that we take care not to overlap. The Power Point presentation re-used in the spring meeting with the seveto present for our partners but is bent. Without tolls with the partners we will also agree where they like to have results presented. And they will probably also like to have a PowerPoint to present for their members. Of course the Members need to have some feedback on what they gave to us.
 * 1) Annual meetings with the advisory committee give possibility to contact the keypersons from the organisations
 * 2) MSSM conferences in Nyborg

International collaboration
We will collaborate with other universities with PubHealth students e.g. the maritime master and university specialist programs the Cadiz university and from other universities. The international perspectives have been proposed in the Wikiversity program.

Content of the questionnaires
The questionnaires will be in two parts: one is intended to be repeated in each of the rounds, with some years between and the other part will be tailored to specific wishes from the students and the seafarers.