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These employees enjoy their work, but worry about health and safety
As many as 85 per cent of employees on service vessels have experienced near accidents in the last two years.
Published
Several surveys have been carried out with the aim of providing the industry with knowledge that can help improve preventive health, safety, and environment (HSE) work.
The surveys include responses from 1,962 employees working in fish farming, shipping, service vessel operations, and supplier services, as well as 349 employees in salmon slaughterhouses and processing plants in Norway.
“The results indicate that aquaculture is an industry where employees enjoy their work, but also face many challenges related to their working environment,” says Trine Thorvaldsen, a researcher at SINTEF.
Employees enjoy their work, despite concerns
The survey of employees in fish farming, shipping, service vessel operations, and other supplier companies follows up on a similar survey from 2023.
The results show that 86 per cent of respondents find their work rewarding always or most of the time. Almost two-thirds expect to still be working in the industry five years from now.
Still, many employees have concerns:
About two in three worry that the working environment could harm their health.
Almost half worry about having an accident at work.
66 per cent have experienced close calls in the last two years.
Among those who work on service vessels, 85 per cent have experienced close calls in the past two years.
Other factors are prioritised over safety
Most employees believe their company takes safety seriously and that they prioritise safety in their work. At the same time, the results point to several challenges:
Inadequate maintenance has led to reduced safety (35 per cent).
Production is prioritised over safety (29 per cent).
“Unfortunately, we don’t see any significant improvements from the previous survey,” says Claus Jervell at Norway’s United Federation of Trade Unions.
He is nevertheless pleased that the surveys are being carried out regularly.
“Regular surveys help increase the spotlight on HSE and allow us to track developments over time. The results highlight challenges that concern our members,” he says.
27 per cent of employees also report pressure to work in a way that could compromise safety.
Salmon slaughterhouses and processing facilities
For the first time, SINTEF and NTNU have also conducted an HSE survey specifically for employees working in salmon slaughterhouses and processing plants.
“The results show that employees who slaughter and process salmon experience several stressors that can affect their health, well-being, and safety over time. For example, more than half of the employees point to language differences as a challenge,” says Trond Kongsvik, a professor at NTNU.
The survey reveals several HSE challenges:
Concern that the working environment could harm employees' health (71 per cent).
Dangerous situations can arise because employees speak different languages (51 per cent).
Employees have experienced near misses in the last two years (42 per cent).
Production is prioritised over safety (42 per cent).
The Norwegian Union of Food, Beverage and Allied Workers (NNN) has distributed the survey to its members.
“The results confirm the challenges that we’re familiar with, and show that there's room to improve HSE in slaughterhouses and fish processing facilities. At the same time, we know that many members are working systematically to make improvements,” says Yngve Hansen, the federal secretary of NNN.
The survey also shows that many employees in slaughterhouses and processing plants have limited opportunities to participate in safety-related decsisions.
Almost 4 in 10 say they are not involved in risk assessments or decisions about purchasing new equipment, while 43 per cent are not involved in developing new procedures.
Collaboration across companies increases risk
A separate study shows that many of the riskiest operations in aquaculture involve several companies working together. Delousing is particularly demanding because it involves multiple actors, large forces, heavy equipment, and several operations taking place at the same time.
The researchers found major differences in how these operations are planned and carried out, including procedures, criteria for stopping work, and reporting of incidents and deviations.
“Good planning, clear roles, and a shared understanding of risk are crucial for safety when several companies collaborate on complex operations. The study shows that the industry has considerable room for improvement in this area,” says Siri Holen, a researcher at SINTEF Ocean.
Multiple risk factors
Several risk factors have been identified:
Pressure to carry out operations
Inadequate staffing
High employee turnover
Insufficient training and experience
Challenges related to vessels, equipment, and working hours
Several respondents say that stopping or postponing an operation is often seen as having greater consequences than the risks of continuing.
Employees in both fish farming and supplier companies identify poor cooperation across companies as a safety risk.
Sources:
Knowledge and measures to reduce risk for personnel in the aquaculture industry (Personal safety): 902016 – Kunnskap og tiltak for å redusere risiko for personell i havbruksnæringen (Personsikkerhet) – FHF
HSE survey in aquaculture 2026 – Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA): HMS undersøkelsen i havbruk 2026 – Nasjonalt vitenarkiv
HSE survey in the salmon industry 2026 – Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA): HMS-undersøkelsen i lakseindustrien 2026 – Nasjonalt vitenarkiv
Safety and cooperation in aquaculture – A qualitative study of personal safety – Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA): Sikkerhet og samarbeid i havbruk – En kvalitativ studie av personsikkerhet – Nasjonalt vitenarkiv
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