Communication and Cultural Factors Influencing Human Performance and Errors in Ship Navigation

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing the performance and errors of seafarers when navigating a ship. Background: Similar to other complex systems, human error is regarded as one of the most important contributing factors in ship accidents. That is natural because the reliability of electrical/mechanical systems is getter better as technology advances whereas the human performance remains the same as before. Previous research showed that socio-technical systems influence on the performance of operators in many ways. Factors including organization structure, workplace culture, and social distances may influence on the system performance and reliability. Those factors determines the communication style and hierarchical structures that make the organizational structure either flexible or rigid. Method: A survey was conducted asking primary factors involved in accidents happened during navigation. Total number of 106 respondents represents a range of experience and nationality: from 22 countries across 5 continents. Questionnaire has three parts asking overall problems, communication issues, and cultural problems. Participants rated the perceived severity of each problems by 5-point Likert scale. Results: Overall the most serious human factors related issues in maritime operations are communication failure, lack of situation awareness, and improper training. Especially for the communications, contents organization and equipment failure are listed as serious problems. Language proficiency also worked as a barrier for correct and efficient communications. On the other hand, senior officer's rejection of suggestions from juniors was the most serious problem in workplace cultures. Strong hierarchy and blame culture are also listed as problems. Conclusion: Although marine industry has started to notice the impact of human factors on the system safety and reliability, the importance of them is not well appreciated yet. As majorities of seafarers acknowledge the importance of human related issues, implementation and execution of safety guidelines and building up the safety culture are critically important for the safe ship operations. Application: Findings of this paper can help choosing training topics for new and experienced seafarers. Teamwork and bridge resource management training can benefit by organizing topics for mitigating serious issues identified in this study.