January 20, 2021 — More lobstermen in New England are wearing life jackets while they work.
It’s thanks to a research project from the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Over the past few years, researchers surveyed and recruited 181 lobstermen to test out different styles and used their feedback to redesign the jackets so that they worked for their needs.
“Lifejackets for Lobstermen” then took 11 final designs and drove them from port to port, helping lobstermen at each dock figure out which option was best for them, and then selling them at a discount.
“The conversation usually started with, ‘I don’t know if I could wear anything like this,’ ” said Jessica Echard, one of the project coordinators. But once they started trying on the new designs, “then they’d start trying on more. And then they’d call their friends over. And then they’d get their crew. And then they’d call their family to come down. So the conversation would go from somewhat skeptical to very interested.”