Due to the high injury and illness rates in the ship building, ship repair, and ship dismantling industries, a research study has been undertaken to better understand the relationship between these high rates as noted in the OSHA 200 logs, and the associated job risk factors. Once this association is better understood, effective ergonomic intervention strategies, in the form of best industrial practices, will be developed to reduce these injuries and illnesses. Dissemination of these best industrial practices will be done through the NIOSH partners such as the Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Maritech Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise, shipyard companies, and labor unions. The purpose of this website is to present effective ergonomic solutions from various shipyards that have been implemented to address specific ergonomic concerns; many examples are from Japan.

This research study is being conducted in two phases. The objectives of Phase I, the qualitative assessment of job risk factors, were to: 1) conduct walk-through surveys of approximately 20 shipyards to examine injury and illness databases to determine trade-specific incidence rates, 2) conduct qualitative job risk factor assessments of the various trades in several shipyards, and 3) determine if specific job risk factors can be associated with available injury and illness information. This Phase has been completed. Phase II, the quantitative assessment of engineering and administrative controls is currently underway. The objectives of Phase II are to: 1) quantify job risk factors in the various trades, 2) recommend specific engineering and administrative controls to reduce those risk factors, 3) follow interventions to determine their effectiveness, and 4) conduct workshops with industry and labor to develop a best industrial practices guide for ergonomic interventions in the ship building, ship repair and ship dismantling industries.