Cold Water Exposure for Maritime Workers: A Scoping Review

Abstract

For many of those working in maritime industries, it is very common to be exposed to harsh environments, such as cold water, on a regular basis. We conducted a scoping review on peer reviewed, published papers to summarize the literature on the topic cold water exposure and non-freezing cold water injuries in the maritime industries. First, industry experts were consulted, then a PICO model was created to define the search terms for the review. The initial search produced 690 abstract. Of these abstracts, 14 were considered to be relevant to the review. The scoping review findings illustrated the lack of research that currently exists in relation to cold water exposure in the maritime industries. Within the available, albeit limited, literature, evidence suggests that there are several cold-water injuries that occur in the maritime industries. These include occupational dermatosis, Raynaud’s phenomena, finger blanching, and hand numbness. Performance decrements were also reported. The current gaps include a lack of documentation of minor and non-fatal injuries, the amount of exposure, and training protocols. There is a need to improve cold-water training regulations for those working in the maritime industries and for proper injury documentation, both of which can significantly benefit safety.