Seafish has created ‘critical worker certificates’ for fishermen and other key workers in the industry to use in the course of their work.
Certificates for fishermen, skippers or vessel owners can be issued to those who have completed the mandatory fishermen’s basic safety training and who are listed on Seafish’s database.
Seafish will only be able to issue these to businesses that are known to it, such as levy payers, businesses which have undertaken Seafish-approved training in the last two years or which have another relevant pre-existing relationship with Seafish.
“There isn’t a legal requirement for critical worker certificates to be carried but we’ve created them following requests from industry,” explained Simon Potten, head of safety and training at Seafish. “They can be used to help individuals demonstrate that they are a critical worker making a necessary journey.”
“We’ve had a lot of interest in these certificates from fishermen and other seafood businesses already, with over 1,500 requests so far. We are processing applications as quickly as possible to support the businesses and individuals working hard to feed the nation.”
Onshore fish and shellfish businesses can request a template certificate which they can complete and issue to key workers. More information for assisting businesses and assisting fishermen can be found on the Seafish website.
