Prevalence of workplace violence and association with individual and workplace environmental factors in the Danish merchant fleet

Given the unique working conditions in maritime settings, understanding the prevalence and determinants of workplace violence is essential for developing effective targeted interventions for improvement. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with workplace violence, including bullying, harassment, verbal threats, and physical and sexual assaults, among 3412 seafarers in the Danish merchant fleet. An online questionnaire was used to collect data. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess associations and mediation analyses were conducted to explore indirect effects. The overall prevalence of experiencing any form of workplace violence was 24.4% (bullying = 16.6%, harassment = 10.8%, verbal threats = 8.1%, sexual assault = 2.5%, physical assault = 2.2%). Seafarers who reported conflicts onboard were more likely to experience bullying (OR 3.17; 95% CI 2.29, 4.40), harassment (OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.82, 4.14), verbal threats (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.66, 3.97), and sexual assault (OR 4.33; 95% CI 1.5, 12.46). Seafarers in vessels with large crew sizes were more likely to be exposed to verbal threats (OR 2.87; 95% CI 1.52, 5.40), while female seafarers were more likely to experience bullying (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.10, 2.24), harassment (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.20, 2.72), and sexual assault (OR 6.19; 95% CI 3.34, 11.47). Those who reported fair workload distribution (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.48, 0.76), good relationships with crew members (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.49, 0.81), and support from senior officers (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.27, 0.43) were less likely to experience any form of workplace violence. The observed association between onboard conflicts and exposure to workplace violence was partially explained by lack of support from seniors, unfair workload distribution, and poor working relationships, accounting for approximately 26.9%, 21.5%, and 16.9% of the observed association, respectively. The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions to address both environmental and individual factors contributing to workplace violence in the maritime sector. Multicultural leadership training and stress management should be a priority.