Loss of bridge control: Human failure is normal – context is key

When bridge control is lost in a functioning system, it can be easy to blame human error. But accidents rarely happen because of one mistake alone. Procedures, system design, fatigue, workload, communication and established ways of working can all set people up to fail. Understanding context is key to preventing the next accident.

As investigators stated in one of the accidents featured in this series, human failure is normal and often predictable. The challenge for shipping companies is to understand where it can occur, what makes it more likely, and how humans can be supported to make it less likely.

Risk assessments for safety-critical tasks should therefore identify not just what can go wrong, but also the conditions that make mistakes more or less likely. These are often referred to as performance influencing factors, or PIFs.

Several were present in the accidents discussed in the previous article of this series, where system settings by the crew appeared to be the obvious cause. Looking closer, however, important context emerges.

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →