The problematic issues of regulation and organization of labor safety of sailors as factor impacting life quality and health

In modern conditions of maritime navigation, protection of lives of crew members plays key role for their health and quality of life. The practice testifies that shipowners underestimate real statistics of occupational injuries, since procedure for its management and investigation of accidents on ships are not sufficiently regulated in international and national legislation. Besides, approaches of shipowners to implementation of existing standards also have different levels of responsibility that leaves measures preventing such incidents unreasonably underestimated. This situation results in increasing of occupational injuries on ships and allows shipowners or insurance companies to avoid proper payments to injured sailor or his family members in case of one's death. The complexity of implementation of "belated" medical expertise to determine cause of death or injury of crew member also makes it difficult to obtain positive result of recognition of disability or death of sailor as result of occupational traumatism. All the described above testifies importance and actuality of stated research topic. The article examines in detail normative acts regulating protection of labor and life and medical care of sailors. Also are considered causes, factors and types of occupational traumatism on ships. The accident statistics and procedure of their investigation are analyzed in relation to maritime practice. The issues of medical expertise are studied and main problematic issues are identified. The recommendations for their solution are formulated.