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Summative Evaluation of the Fish Safe Stability Education Program: A Multifaceted Approach
RS2007-IG22
Final Report Date: May 2009
| Principal Applicant: | Barbara Howe (Quinte Marine Services Ltd.) |
For more information about this project, please contact Barbara Howe.
Issue
Many capsizings and fatalities in the commercial fishing industry are caused by fishing vessels losing stability. The Fish Safe Stability Education Program (FSSEP) was introduced in B.C. in 2006 to address this problem by helping fishermen to learn about stability principles and how to minimize the risk of these types of incidents. The FSSEP offers a four-day user friendly course in the basic principles and practical applications of vessel stability, which is facilitated by fishermen. The course uses a technique called “indirect instruction” or “discovery learning”, which is learner focused and draws on the practical on-the-job knowledge fishermen have gained in their many years of fishing. This project evaluated the FSSEP to find out how well the program has been working and whether it has resulted in fishermen making changes to their vessels and operating practices in order to minimize stability threats.
Key findings
- The evaluation found that the FSSEP has both merit and worth, resulting in safer vessels and practices to protect vessel stability and meeting the educational needs of the fishing industry in a useful way.
- The FSSEP course, discussions and facilitators were highly rated by respondents, and almost all said they learned something from the course.
- The majority (60%) of respondents said that after the course they made changes to their vessels (60%) and working practices (63%) in order to minimize stability threats.
- Most (81%) respondents support the introduction of a safety mentoring program.
Objectives
- To determine if fishermen who attended the FSSEP course took ownership of principles of stability and changed anything on board their vessels and/or anything about their operations in order to minimize threats to stability
- To assess how the course was received and whether any substantive changes need to be made
Methods
A questionnaire was sent to the 594 fishermen who had taken the FSSEP course. There were 11 “top of mind” open questions, 8 questions using a numeric rating scale, and 6 demographic questions (e.g., gender, years fishing, position held). Two of the questions specifically asked about changes made to the vessel and operating practices as a result of taking the course. All responses were kept confidential.
The questionnaire response rate for the survey was 30%, with 164 participants of the 594 who were sent the questionnaire responding, and 20 questionnaires being returned as undeliverable.
Two focus groups with eight participants each were also held, with one taking place in Richmond and the other in Nanaimo. Potential participants were identified through responses to a questionnaire item which asked if respondents would be interested in participating in the focus groups. Discussions focused on the participants’ experience of the FSSEP course as well as their thoughts about a fishing safety mentoring program, and their perception of risk in commercial fishing.
Results
Questionnaire results
- The FSSEP course was highly rated by respondents, with 89% rating it “very good” or “excellent”. Informal discussions and facilitators were also rated very highly and 94% of respondents said they have recommended the course to other fishermen.
- The majority (60%) of respondents said that after taking the course they had changed things on board to minimize threats to stability. Examples included lowering the centre of gravity, improving structural components and securing seals and hatches.
- Most (63%) of the respondents said that after the course they had changed working practices, such as improved awareness and crew safety training, increased checks and drills, and stowing gear in lower positions.
- Almost all (97%) of the respondents said they learned something from the course, with examples including vessel stability; loading, weight, and vessel roll period; free surface; and general crew safety.
- Introducing a safety mentoring program that could assist with regulatory requirements, emergency drills and safety procedures was supported by 81% of respondents.
Focus group results
- Several focus group participants said they made changes to their vessels and operating practices after the course, with a few noting that they now appreciate threats to vessel stability that they were not aware of before the course.
- Participants referred to “risk” as being “part of the business”, which may suggest fishermen see risk as inherent in the commercial fishing business rather than more directly related to specific hazards associated with work processes.
- Participants expressed concerns that a safety mentoring program could involve too much monitoring, costs being downloaded to fishermen, and unwelcome drills. Participants also suggested the program would be more welcome if “mentor compatibility” is ensured and the program is not overly intrusive or time consuming.
Conclusions
The evaluation found that the FSSEP has both merit and worth, and demonstrated the success of using an indirect instruction approach in this context. It imparted useful knowledge about stability to fishermen, and many have made changes to their vessel and/or to operating practices to minimize threats to stability. Both the questionnaire and the focus group findings show that the FSSEP is meeting the educational needs of the fishing industry in a useful way.
Future directions
Future research on the link between how training is delivered (such as the indirect instruction approach used for FSSEP) and the effectiveness of knowledge transfer would be useful, particularly for designing other safety programs for fishermen. Further research on risk perception in the fishing fleet would also be valuable, as focus group discussions suggest that fishermen may generally view risk as inherent in the business.
Publications and Presentations
Howe, B, Krgovich, J. 2009. Fish Safe Stability Education Program – A Success Story. Paper presented (by invitation) at the World Fishing Exhibition in Vigo, Spain Sept. 16-19th.