RINA opens registration for Human Factors conference
According to the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, research shows that more than 80% of accidents at sea are caused by human related factors. That’s why it’s hosting a conference on 19-20 February, bringing together international specialists including designers, ship operators, seafarers, equipment manufacturers and regulators to highlight how an improved understanding of human factors can reduce costs and improve safety.
Decisions made at the design stage can influence human behaviour and health, and an improved understanding of ergonomics by engineers can ‘design out’ hazards and prevent incidents, both to the individual and the vessel.
Crew complements are being driven down through increasing use of automation but there remain many tasks that can be completed only by humans. This dilemma can create an increased risk of human error.
Undermanning of ships, insufficient training, inadequate knowledge of the entirety of technology present onboard, lack of emergency drills, etc., can all widen the scope for human error. Even seemingly minor errors by a single person can lead to a series of errors, and so it is critical that their nature is fully transparent and understood throughout the management chain to ensure appropriate action can be taken at the right level.
Topics for the conference include:
- Design for occupational health and safety
- Integration of human factors into the design process
- Feedback from the users into the design loop
- Examples of practical applications of human factors engineering
- Habitability
- Design of navigation and control systems
- Design for performance
- Ashore and onboard opertional organisation and teamwork
- Safety, performance and management
- Survivability, escape and evacuation systems
