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Neil Ellis

Mr Neil Ellis

Overview

  • The mental health of seafarers
  • Seafarers health and well-being
  • The built environment and its affects on health and well-being
  • Perceptions of risk in the maritime industry
  • The collection & analysis of accident data
  • Fatigue in the work place
  • Research techniques in a marine environment

Publication

2025

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

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2005

2004

2003

Articles

Conferences

Monographs

Teaching

 

Biography

Neil joined SIRC in 2003 where he was initially appointed to work on the Global Labour market database. Prior to joining SIRC Neil worked at the Occupational and Health Psychology unit at Cardiff University as a research assistant on the fatigue, health and safety project. This project, conducted in collaboration with SIRC, examined the causes of stress and fatigue in the maritime industry. It was the first of its kind to take performance tests into the maritime environment, to which end Neil conducted a number of on board research trips. Neil’s first degree is a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Communication, and he also holds an MPhil, both of which were awarded by University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. 

At SIRC Neil is currently working on the Seafarers’ health and access to healthcare in 2023 project funded by Stiftelsen Sveriges Sjömanshus (SSS) which looks at the health of international seafarers through questionnaires and interviews comparing their current health status to that found in studies completed in 2011 and 2016. For the first time the study will look at access to health care and the difficulties seafarers experience accessing such, as well as the difficulties that ship operators face in attempting to support their shipboard employees’ health.

In the past Neil has worked on a number of other projects within SIRC including:

1) Scoping exercise relating to the future evaluation of evidence underpinning decision-making in the shipping industry

This project for the Lloyd's Register Foundation looked at the evidence that is used to support decision-making in relation to safety in the maritime industry. The project itself was a scoping exercise which produced a detailed snapshot of the type of information currently being used by the maritime industry to inform decision-making.

2) Mapping Maritime Professionals - Towards a full scale European data collection system

This European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) funded research looked at the availability and accuracy of data on those employed in the maritime industry within each country in the European Union (as well as Iceland, Norway, and the UK) assessing what data was available and how detailed and accurate this was, with recommendations for the development of a European wide data collection system being made.

3) Seafarers' mental health and wellbeing

This Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (ISOH) funded project looking at the mental health of seafarers. The study examined what existing data there was on the mental health of seafarers as well as collecting new data about mental health from both seafarers and shipping companies so as to identify what factors on-board ships support/undermine good mental health.

4) Other Projects

  • The relationships between shore-side and shipboard personnel
  • Seafarers use of mandatory equipment
  • Accommodation design
  • The accuracy of perceptions of risk compared to actual accident data
  • The supply of global seafaring labour.
  • Fraudulent certification
  • Stress in the maritime industry
  • Attitudes towards computer based training (CBT)

Honours and awards

 

Professional memberships

 

Contact Details

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Mental Health
  • Statistics
  • Ergonomics
  • Workplace wellbeing and quality of working life
  • Industrial and employee relations