Assistant Professor of Occupational Health Safety, Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine

What are you currently working on? Can you tell us a bit about your current research focus? 

I am currently working on a series of maritime occupational health and safety projects, including: (1) the increase in Arctic shipping and its impacts on seafarers and Arctic communities; (2) limited search and rescue resources in the Arctic and its impact on Arctic shipping, seafarers and Inuit communities; (3) lack of safety culture on board British Columbia tugboat sector; (4) long-existing fatigue-related safety risks in Canadian shipping and fishing sectors; and (5) occupational health challenges for maritime workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Have there been any recent advancements? Anything specific you'd like to share with us?

Between 2022 and 2023, I was appointed as a research expert by Transport Canada to draft a federal government report, Fatigue in the Maritime Sector 2023, which contains the first baseline study of workplace fatigue levels among Canadian seafarers. I delivered a one-hour presentation of the research findings at the Canadian National Marine Advisory Council on Nov 14^th, 2023. The research has received highly positive feedback from the government, employer and employee representatives. As an invited speaker, I presented this research to three key maritime safety stakeholders: the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the Pacific Coast Tow and Workboat Safety Advisory Group and the Atlantic Pilotage Authority.

In a recent milestone, my research titled "Occupational Health and Safety Challenges for Maritime Key Workers in the Global COVID‐19 Pandemic" (Shan 2022) was cited in the International Labour Organization Background Report of the proposed amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. This study became the research evidence supporting a government group's proposal to establish a global database of seafarers’ fatalities. In 2022, I was appointed as an international labour law expert by the International Labour Organization to draft a flagship report: Occupational Safety and Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Legal Analysis of China. In 2020, I sat on the expert panel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia to develop guidelines on international seafarer abandonment cases. I have been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Junior Faculty Research Award, one of the Faculty of Medicine’s prestigious Dean’s Excellence Awards. 

 

When and why did you first feel inspired to work in this area? 

Since 2011, I have become a dedicated socio-legal interdisciplinary researcher in maritime governance, law and policies. My research maintains Canadian and international perspectives of health and safety governance-based analysis. I strive to inform policies and practices promoting the health, safety, and well-being of seafarers and coastal community members.

 

Can you share a memory with us of an interesting day in your recent work and research life?

On September 26^th, 2023, our team organized an one-day workshop “Navigating Seafarers’ Mental Health: Mobilization of Community of Community Supports for a St John’s Seafarer Welfare Centre”. Through this event, we invited representatives from Transport Canada, St John’s Port Authority, Mission to Seafarers, North American Maritime Ministry Association, Stella Maris,  International Transportation Workers’ Federation, Seafarers’ International Union, Ocean Choice, International, Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board, and local Anglican and Catholic churches. The goal of this workshop was to raise awareness of the value of seafarers’ welfare centre and to mobilize existing community organzations to partner with the National Seafarers' Welfare Board, the local port authority, and MUN in the development of a local and research friendly seafarer welfare centre in St. John’s, NL. You can read more about that in this CBC article from last year.

 

What makes Memorial particularly suited for your work?

Newfoundland and Labrador has a long maritime history and significant population of seafarers and people working at sea.
Memorial’s rich ocean-related research programs keep inspiring me.

 

What is something you’d like for people to know about the ocean or the north (or your more specific focus area)?

Shipping is responsible for more than 80% of the global trade, and maritime transportation is critical to the global and regional supply chains of affordable food, and manufactured goods, which supports the sustainability of modern society. Moreover, Arctic shipping has created opportunities for cruise tourism, resource transportation, community supply transportation, research and government services. However, there are many hazards and challenges inherent to maritime operations in the Canadian Arctic, including harsh extremities of Arctic weather, limited port infrastructure, extensive distances from search and rescue services, and restricted access to medical care in Northern communities. The increase in Arctic shipping creates navigational and occupational risks to seafarers and brings new challenges for coastal Inuit communities. This is an area we cannot ignore.