Vibrant Health Advocates - Onyx supports the fishing and port-working community of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, with practical occupational health information tailored to the physical demands of coastal and harbour work.
Every week, men and women from Wishaw and the surrounding North Lanarkshire communities make the journey to Scotland's harbours, fishing vessels, and port facilities — returning tired, weathered, and often carrying the quiet weight of physical strain that builds over years. Vibrant Health Advocates - Onyx exists because those workers deserve the same quality of occupational health information and support as anyone working in a factory or office.
We know the particular pressures of this work: the early starts, the cold and wet, the heavy lifts, the noise on deck, the long hours away from home, and the culture that too often prizes toughness over self-care. We translate complex health guidance into practical, plain-language advice that fits real working lives — and we do it with genuine knowledge of this community, because we are part of it.
Our storyOur resources are built around the actual hazards of fishing and port work — not generic workplace health leaflets. From musculoskeletal strain to noise-induced hearing risks and cold-water immersion awareness, we speak the language of the harbour.
Years of hauling, lifting, and working in damp, diesel-heavy environments take a measurable toll on the body. We help workers identify early warning signs and know when and where to seek help before conditions become serious.
We work from within the community, reaching workers through trusted local channels — fishing associations, port welfare contacts, and word of mouth. Our support is warm, non-judgmental, and grounded in real relationships built over years.
The practical work of Vibrant Health Advocates - Onyx happens in community halls in Wishaw, on the quayside at harbour facilities up and down Scotland's west coast, in the pages of the resources we leave with welfare officers and union reps, and in the quiet one-to-one conversations our volunteers have with workers who have a question they have never felt comfortable asking a doctor or an employer.
We develop occupational health information materials from scratch — working with workers, not just about them — and we distribute them through every channel that actually reaches this community: fishing associations, port welfare services, GP waiting rooms in North Lanarkshire, and online for the growing number of workers who want digital access.
How we work
At the harbour
Wishaw sessions
Quayside outreach
Volunteer evenings
Whether you work at the harbour, care about someone who does, or simply want to help — there is a place for you in what we do. Get in touch and we will find the right way for you to be involved.
Get in touch