The Receptivity to Safety-Related Mobile Apps Among Commercial Fishing Captains: Descriptive Exploratory Study

BACKGROUND: Mobile apps addressing a variety of workplace safety issues have proliferated over the last decade as mobile technology has advanced and smartphone ownership has increased. Workplace safety interventions are often designed for a specific work site. However, some of the most dangerous jobs are ones in which workers frequently change field locations, such as commercial fishing. Mobile apps may be particularly suitable for delivering safety interventions to these workers. OBJECTIVE: We sought to gauge the potential for using mobile apps to deliver safety interventions to commercial fishing workers. The purpose of this paper is to describe how fishermen use their mobile devices during fishing operations and identify any mobile apps they already use for safety. METHODS: Participants comprised commercial fishing captains who already owned an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. They completed a questionnaire that asked about their current mobile device use and their use of safety-related mobile apps, in addition to questions about their fishing operations. We performed descriptive analyses of the data. RESULTS: A total of 61 participants completed the questionnaire. The most common types of mobile devices participants reported owning were iPhones (n=36, 59%) and Android phones (n=24, 39%). Most participants (n=53, 87%) reported using their mobile device for both work and personal purposes, including while out at sea (n=52, 85%). Over half of the participants reported that they had either safety-related apps (n=17, 28%) or apps that help them with their work (n=35, 57%). The types of apps most frequently mentioned were apps for weather, wind, tides, and navigation. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that some commercial fishing captains who own a mobile device are receptive to using safety-related apps for work. Apps that help avoid hazards by monitoring environmental conditions and apps optimized for use on smartphones may be most likely to be adopted and used. Overall, these results suggest that mobile apps are a promising avenue for improving safety among workers in commercial fishing and similar occupations.