“During 2020-2021, Phuket had a high risk of accidents in falls and deaths in the water,” Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong said in officiating the opening of the event.
“Therefore, building knowledge in first aid skills and resuscitation is very important and necessary to enable employees and people involved in the fisheries industry to be prepared to deal with unexpected situations that may arise at any time,” he added.
Thanapong Orachon, Chief of the Phuket Labour Protection and Welfare Office, explained that the training session was aimed at creating awareness of preventive measures for occupational health and safety in the working environment, specifically for those working in confined spaces.
The training yesterday saw two groups of 30 people from Phuket’s fishing industry undergo training provided by staff from Vachira Phuket Hospital, the DDPM Region 18 office and the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO).
The training included lectures and demonstrations of basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated defibrillator (AED).
Mr Thanapong pointed out that the Division of Epidemiology at the Department of Disease Control recorded 62 incidents of injuries and deaths in confined spaces in the fisheries industry between 2003 and 2018.
The incidents affected 210 people. Of those, 80 were injured and 130 lives were lost, he said.
Overall, the mortality rate of people involved in safety incidents in confined spaces in the fisheries industry was 61.9%, he added.
“The rate of injuries and deaths has been increasing, especially during the years 2014-2018,” Mr Thanapong said.
“The highest was in 2017. There were 34 injuries and deaths, of which the most common cause of death was suffocation or insufficient oxygen, and inhalation of toxic gases during factory work,” he noted.