Citation

Hudson DS, Conway G. Int. J. Circumpolar Health. 2004; 63(Suppl 2): 357-360.

Affiliation

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, Alaska Field Station, Anchorage, Alaska 99507, USA. dhh8@cdc.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, International Union for Circumpolar Health, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15736684

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the patterns associated with cold-water immersion and drowning in commercial fishermen in Alaska from 1990 through 2002. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective study using data from the Alaska Occupational Surveillance System (AOISS), a database with records from all occupational mortalities occurring in Alaska from 1990 on. METHODS: We extracted and analyzed all records describing deaths from drowning or hypothermia to commercial fishermen in Alaska from 1990 through 2002 that were registered within AOISS. We also used a subset of records from AOISS to compare use of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) between the target population and survivors of fatal events. RESULTS: There were 228 deaths resulting from cold-water immersion and subsequent drowning in the target population for the time period studied. Victims were far less likely to have used PFDs than were survivors of events where cold-water drowning occurred. CONCLUSION: The strong protective association seen with the use of PFDs, particularly immersion suits, in surviving cold-water events indicates that many of the events that led to deaths in the target population could well have been survivable.