Risk of drowning
Falls at sea are the leading cause of death among professional seafarers. Between 2010 and 2017, across all maritime sectors, 83 professional seafarers died while working. Of these, 29 died as a result of a fall overboard.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) against the risk of drowning, which has been compulsory to wear in France since 2007 in certain situations, is an essential link in the process of preventing people from falling overboard, as it ensures that they remain buoyant in all circumstances.
Because the subject is important and sometimes complex, the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture - DGAMPA (formerly the Directorate for Maritime Affairs), in partnership with the Maritime Institute for Risk Prevention (IMP), launched an awareness and information campaign on PPE against the risk of drowning aimed at professional sailors at the beginning of 2019. The aim is to alert professionals to the importance of systematically wearing this PPE when exposed to the risk of falling overboard, but also to provide them with clear explanations of the regulations governing this equipment.
The following materials are being made available as part of this campaign: