Advancing Occupational Health, Safety and Resilience in Maritime and Port Work Environments

Occupational health and safety within maritime and port operations represent a critical domain of public health research, where human wellbeing intersects with complex, technology-intensive work environments. Operating across global waters and ports, this sector exposes workers to diverse risks—ranging from physical, chemical and ergonomic hazards to psychosocial stressors and fatigue. Despite progress in automation, monitoring technologies and organizational controls, incident rates remain concerning, and risk prevention practices still vary widely across regions and operational settings. Recent studies highlight both the promise and the challenges of integrating artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and smart sensors into safety management systems. While these tools have advanced hazard detection and situational awareness, persistent challenges—such as uneven safety culture, rigid regulatory frameworks, and limited interdisciplinary collaboration—underscore the need for novel, evidence-based approaches that place worker health and organizational resilience at the core of maritime safety.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding and practice in maritime occupational health and safety by fostering an evidence-based, preventive and human-centered perspective. It seeks to strengthen knowledge on how technological innovation, risk assessment methodologies, and human and organizational factors intersect to shape safe, healthy and resilient work environments. Research questions include: how can digitalization enhance preventive strategies and early risk identification? What are the most effective models for integrating human factors into automated operations? And how can governance and sustainability frameworks reduce accident rates while protecting worker wellbeing? By bridging public health, engineering, behavioral and policy perspectives, this Research Topic encourages the development of multidisciplinary frameworks that translate innovation into safer maritime futures.This Research Topic focuses on occupational health and safety issues relevant to maritime and port operations worldwide, including risk prevention, exposure management, and health promotion among maritime workers. To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Operational safety on ships and in ports: mechanisms of accidents, incidents and prevention models.o Occupational risk management: identification, assessment and mitigation of physical, chemical and ergonomic hazards.o Human factors and safety culture: human error, fatigue, leadership and organizational resilience.o Psychosocial and mental health risks: stress, wellbeing, shift work and health promotion strategieso Digitalization, automation and smart ports: health and safety implications of emerging technologies.o Emerging technologies for prevention: predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, smart sensors, virtual and augmented reality.o Regulation, governance and public policy: frameworks for improving occupational health and safety standards.o Sustainability and climate resilience: managing health and safety risks in the context of environmental change and energy transition. Topic editors: David Almorza, Víctor Amor-Esteban Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83082/advancing-occupational-health-safety-and-resilience-in-maritime-and-port-work-environments