In days of yore, as they say, the only protection you had against predators and pirates was your sword or a canon.  The only protection you had when you got hurt working on the ship or boat was maritime law.  Maritime law was a combination of tradition, common practices, and the common law of the day.

Today, crewmen have the Jones Act to protect them if they get hurt on the job.  The Jones Act, written in 1920, was expressly instituted to help injured workers or crewmen of any boat or vessel.  To be precise, the Jones Act applies to injuries that occur on the following:

·         Ships

·         Off-shore oil rigs

·         Barges

·         Tug boats

·         Tankers

·         Riverboat casinos

·         Shrimp boats

·         Crew boats

·         Trawlers

·         Fishing boats

·         Ferries

·         Water taxis

·         Cruise ships

·         All other vessels that travel via canals, intra-coastal rivers, oceans

The Jones Act provides two ways for an injured worker to be compensation.  The first is that the employer is obligated to pay transportation and wages until the end of the current voyage.  Second, there is a provision called "maintenance and cure" that provides for medical care until the injured worker has healed to the best of their ability.

In addition, the seaman may be eligible for lost wages, pain and suffering and any other appropriate compensation if the employer is found to have been negligent.  Should the vessel be deemed unseaworthy, the Jones Act allows for additional benefits to the injured seaman.  A vessel can be considered unseaworthy if it or its crew is not fit for the intended use.

Seamen can be injured any number of ways.  If you're working a shrimp boat, fishing boat or trawler, you have to worry about keeping your fingers out of winches as lines run in and out.  If you're working an oil rig, you have heavy machinery and cranes moving overhead to watch out for.  Sadly, some maritime injuries can result in permanent disfigurement or even death.

While working at sea may seem like the perfect job to some, the inherent dangers shouldn't be taken lightly.  Chances are you won't have to deal with pirates or predators much, but you could easily get hurt while working on a rig, boat or other sea-going vessel.