The human factor and maritime safety

Studies of maritime accidents identify human error as the primary contributing cause for up to 70% of the accidents. By investigating incidents, safety problems can be identified, and preventive measures may be taken. This paper deals with incorporate human factors into an accident investigation program. In order to provide an examples of a human factors taxonomy for the purpose of investigation, the Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), was used. The fundamental issue of the HFACS system is the proper categorisation of the causal factors in one of nineteen sections, known as “coding process”. In this paper, the recommendations for the proper classification of causal factors, focused on marine transport, will be provided.