In legal terms, duty of care means that a person must take reasonable steps to make sure their actions keep others around them safe. Being negligent in this duty may result in an injury, which can be very bad if you’re at sea.

A breach in one’s care of duty at sea can take on many forms, including a lack of maintenance, unsafe equipment, or a lack of safety devices. Also, if you’re a shipowner, you should know you owe duty of care to almost everyone on your boat, including passengers and longshore workers. However, you would not be expected to extend duty of care to trespassers or anyone else onboard your ship illegally or without your permission.

If you feel a shipowner has been negligent in their duty of care to you while at sea, and you’ve suffered an injury, you may need to file a legal dispute. In order to do this, seek medical help for your injury as soon as possible. You’ll also want to keep records and hire a maritime law attorney in order to help you plead your case.

Duty of care is an important legal term that helps people understand what their responsibilities are to the people around them, especially when they are at sea. For more information, please read the following infographic.