ABSTRACT
It is often claimed that human errors are the cause of at least 80% of maritime accidents. Although certain functions have been automated and there is an ongoing development toward autonomous shipping, a ship is still largely a human-controlled system. If we want to improve safety in the maritime industry, it is therefore also obvious that we have to understand how and why human errors occur. Fatigue can be both psychological and physiological and is found to be a frequent source to human error. Psychological fatigue can also be termed mental fatigue while physiological fatigue is related to bodily fatigue and tiredness in muscles. Another important factor is the physical working environment involving thermal conditions, illumination, noise, and vibration. Critical factors relating to human performance are vision, perception, situation awareness, communication, and decision making. Finally, the performance is influenced by effective communication, ergonomic workplace design, and a good safety culture.
