title: Seafarer deaths at sea: a German mortality study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seafarers face numerous hazards during their work at sea.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the frequency and causes of mortality in German seafarers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The deaths of all German seafarers from 1998 to 2008 were counted and evaluated using the German central civil register in Berlin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study cohort comprised a total of 159588 seafarer-years. During the 11 year period, 68 male seafarers died on board. The average age was 48.5 years (SD 12.7 years) and comprised 35 deck officers, 16 engine officers and 17 general crew members (i.e. non-officers from the deck and engine room crew and galley staff). Cause of death was documented in 45 cases (66%): 26 were due to unnatural causes (occupational accidents, suicides) and 19 due to natural causes (particularly, ischaemic heart disease). The crude annual mortality rate for German seamen was 65 per 100000 seafarer-years. For cardiac causes, this rate was significantly higher among deck and engine officers (24 and 38) than among crew ranks (7 per 100000 seafarer-years) (P < 0.05). Deck and engine offi-cers also showed a higher mortality rate for accidents (28 and 22) than crew ranks (15) (P < 0.05). The age-stratified fatal accident rate of German seafarers aboard was 10 times higher than the mortality of the German general population on shore.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seafaring constitutes an occupation with a high risk for serious accidents. Due to the unexpectedly high mortality rate among officers associated with work-related accidents, this occupational group should receive more effective education on safety behaviour on board.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine Hamburg (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oldenburg
authors.affiliation: Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine Hamburg (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.affiliation: Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine Hamburg (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Harth
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000401:mortality*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009326:Naval Medicine; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000401:mortality*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Accidents; deaths; fatal casualties; mortality; occupational risks; seafarers.