Ramazzini Center/''Program for monitoring of the maritime environmental-, work- and health risk indicators''

Background
Monitoring of the work environmental and health indicators has been routinely carried out for employees in the land-based industries for the last decennia in many countries. Every five years since then, the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NFA) has collected and analysed information on working environment and health using standardised questionnaires. While the seafarers are not represented in this program, a survey project of the working and living environment on Danish merchant ships was applied to The Danish Maritime Fund without success after years of efforts. Now, according to the ILO Conventions MLC2006 for seafarers and the C188 for fishermen a monitoring of health and safety is obligatory, and this program will complete with the state obligations in this issue. The Flag states are obliged to establish a regular monitoring of the working and living environment according to the MLC2006 Article 5 and Article 40-44 in the ILO-C188 Convention for fishermen. The target groups include seafarers, fishermen, port workers, offshore workers and the seafarers' wives. The program takes benefit from the experiences with supervision of the MSc. Pub. Health and Maritime students' theses with a research methodological training support and guidance of the student’s thesis. The program has opened up for international cooperation in twin projects, e.g. via the collaboration agreement with a maritime university in Thailand.

Purpose
The Ramazzini Center Monitoring Program is a non-profit network of students and researchers to collaborate on the same purpose, promoting occupational health research for the benefit of workers at the national and international level inspired by the work of the Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini. It is a brick-free center that unites interested individuals and institutions with activities in occupational- and public health research.

What is the result or outcome?

 * 1) The outcome is to support the maritime workers to keep the highest possible work standards and living conditions.
 * 2) This is done by continuously providing an updated knowledge on the psychosocial and physical work and living environment for seafarers, fishermen, port workers, offshore workers and the well-being of seafarers' wives.
 * 3) The project complies with the Flag states obligations to establish a regular monitoring of the working and living environment according to the MLC2006 Article 5 and Article 40-44 in the ILO-C188 Convention for fishermen
 * 4) The project convey updated knowledge on the health risks on board is needed for the maritime doctors to perform the health examinations according to the ILO/WHO Guidelines for the maritime health examinations.

How does the project contribute to the industry?

 * 1) The permanently updated knowledge of the health risk indicators in the maritime environment helps shipping companies to keep pace with an optimal working environment.
 * 2) The project takes responsibility for the working environment and health among all maritime employees.
 * 3) The companies receive updated knowledge that enables for a strategic and differentiated, and thus more cost-effective prevention efforts
 * 4) The competitiveness of companies is strengthened by using the systematic tools for the ”diagnostics” of the working environment.

How does the project contribute to teaching?
What is the value? Preferably we use our health and safety research as the basis for our teaching for MSc. Pub. Health and Maritime students. They learn the research methods in occupational maritime health with assessment of reliability, generalisability and different types of bias in the scientific context including clearance of the ownership of the data. They will learn about the European Survey Research Association for exchange of experience in application of survey methods. They learn how to apply the research methods in their later professional tasks and how to search the scientific based knowledge for solving of practical problems in their professional life. They learn how valuable new knowledge can be provided under supervision from skilled researchers and they learn to appreciate the study design also later for teaching of their own students. The maritime students get interest and knowledge on how to search and use the scientific based maritime knowledge for their professional positions as leaders on board. So, the outcome of the monitoring project of occupational risk at sea will be an important part of the continuing training of the medical doctors for fishermen and seafarers. Without this knowledge the medical doctors cannot perform their obligations to give preventive advice for the seafarers and fishermen.

What kind of new research knowledge does the program generate?
By using standardised, validated questionnaires, combined with systematic literature studies and interview studies under the guidance of experienced researchers ensures high quality of the new gained knowledge. The quantitative data is typically collected through mail distributed systems or by interviewing the respondents. The standardised questionnaires include e.g. the Nordic Ergonomics Scheme, Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire(NOSACQ-50), the Copenhagen Psycho-Social Social Questionnaire (CoPSQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Applying standard demographic variables: person, job position / type of workplace, allows for valid comparisons of the results over time and between the different types of work to identify contrasts for the prevention. In addition, the target groups and the students select some additional questions, for example on how Covid-19 affects the psychosocial environment on board merchant ships. Repeated use of the standard questionnaires constitute part of the prospective cohorts studies from e.g the maritime schools.

Contribution to the UN 17 SDGs

 * Goal 3: Good health and well-being for all workers
 * GOAL 4: Quality Education
 * GOAL 5: Gender Equality
 * GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
 * GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
 * GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (NOx and SOx combustible emissions)
 * GOAL 13: Climate Action
 * GOAL 14: Life underwater with observations on compliance with good waste management on board and observation of visible pollution at sea.
 * GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Evaluation

 * 1) Formal examination with external censors for the Theses
 * 2) The scientific publications are evaluated by peer review
 * 3) Evaluation of the project is planned 2024

Dissemination

 * 1) Thesis for the student’s graduation
 * 2) Feedback to the seafarer’s organisations
 * 3) Training materials for the Maritime Medical Doctors
 * 4) Feedback to the shipping companies
 * 5) Article for professional maritime journals
 * 6) National and International maritime conferences

Ressources

 * 1) Data collection, data analysis and writing of the thesis are carried out by the students with no extra costs for the universities.
 * 2) Larger studies of time trend analyze of the health risk indicators based on data from repeated studies can be funded by international and national funds.
 * 3) Time trend analyses can be announced as possible Thesis subjects