Every worker must always have enough knowledge about the law and statutes that protect him/her. Depending on the field in which you develop your skills, mass media takes care in communicating and spreading out specific information that relates to your work. If you happen to be a marine or an worker overseas, you must get acquainted with all the laws and governmental regulations that protect you. Maritime and Admiralty Law must be a number one priority in your list of things-to-learn (or at least, to have an idea!).
Maritime or Admiralty Law is the set of rules, laws and practices that govern the employment and transportation of people and goods over or near navigable waters. It applies to personal injuries, wage and labor disputes, disability discrimination, racial and sexual harassment, toxic exposures, hearing losses, death cases and workplace fatigue injuries. It can also apply to maritime property damage, maritime insurance disputes, loss of cargo, damage to shore side property by vessels and fishing rights.
Working overseas, mainly within the fishing industry, is quite a dangerous occupation. The United States Coast Guard ran a study in March 1999, which showed that "commercial fishing continues to rank at or near the top of the most hazardous occupations in the United States." In detail, the statistics demonstrated that the safety standards for commercial vessels are lower than standards for domestic vessels. Even though there have been attempts to raise the level of those standards, many have been opposed due to high cost of those implementations.
If standards of quality are not high, numerous injuries will continue happening in the overseas industry. There is no way to develop a good and safe labor force if workers are only given poor equipment and poor training. Workers do deserve to receive maintenance and appropriate medical care in case they get injured or ill while working. Moreover, they are entitled to receive compensation for pain and suffering, lost income, damages, loss of enjoyment of life and retraining costs. All these damages can be awarded if your employer or any member is negligent or if your ship was not safe. Safety here also includes a well-trained crew.
Remember that, as responsible workers, one of our responsibilities is to be well-informed about our rights and ask for them. No one else will worry about them better than we do it. Let's help fairness and justice be present.