Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Freezing, Thawing, and Packaging Cells for Transport
Published on: July 2, 2008
Safety in shipping: the human element
Catherine Hetherington1, Rhona Flin, Kathryn Mearns
1The Industrial Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Old Aberdeen, AB24 2UB. c.hetherington@abdn.ac.uk
Introduction:
There are numerous diverse papers that have addressed issues within maritime safety; to date there has been no comprehensive review of this literature to aggregate the causal factors within accidents in shipping and surmise current knowledge.
Methods:
This paper reviewed the literature on safety in three key areas: common themes of accidents, the influence of human error, and interventions to make shipping safer. The review included 20 studies of seafaring across the following areas: fatigue, stress, health, situation awareness, teamwork, decision-making, communication, automation, and safety culture.
Results:
The review identifies the relative contributions of individual and organizational factors in shipping accidents, and also presents the methodological issues with previous research.
Conclusions:
The paper concludes that monitoring and modifying the human factors issues presented in this paper could contribute to maritime safety performance.
Impact On Industry:
This review illustrates which human factors issues are prevalent in incidents therefore this gives shipping practitioners a focus for interventions.
Related Concept Videos
Survey Safety
Design Consideration
The factor of safety is another key aspect...
Sample Handling
Samples should be transported carefully from collection points to the laboratory. They should be properly sealed and clearly labeled to prevent cross-contamination. To preserve the sample integrity, optimal temperature conditions during transport are essential. This could involve using...
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
Personal Protective Equipment