If every incident is described in everyday parlance, there is a Tower of Babel effect, because we all see and describe things slightly differently, so learning will be hard because every single event will seem unique.
According to the EU-funded SAFEMODE project, which focuses on ways to enhance Safety Culture within the maritime industry, in order to learn, there must be commonly understood ways of describing events, accidents and the Human Element. The technical term for this is a Taxonomy, which is basically an agreed set of definitions and descriptions.
Developing an effective and comprehensive taxonomy
A taxonomy needs two components, for describing:
- The context aka the ship operation e.g., mooring, navigating in a narrow channel, watch keeping, etc.
- The Human Element aka the human performance influencing factors e.g., fatigue, situation awareness, workload, etc.
The Shield Taxonomy by SAFEMODE
As there are many taxonomies that can facilitate learning, an organization needs to decide and settle on one. The EU project suggests the following:
ACTS
- Perception and Vigilance
- Response Execution
- Memory
- Planning and Decision Making
- Intentional Deviation from Authorized Procedures
PRECONDITIONS
- Environmental Factors
-Physical Environment: Communication
-Technological Environment: Self-imposed stress, Team/ Group
- Individual Factors
-Awareness Cognitive Factors: Adverse Psychological, Competence of Skills
-Adverse Psychological: Physical or Mental, Perception
SUPERVISION
- Failure to Correct Known Problem
- Inadequate Supervision
- Planned Inappropriate Operations
- Supervisory Violations
ORGANIZATION
- Culture
- Safety Management
- Resources
- Economy & Business
