1 INTRODUCTION-PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINES
1.1 The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide practical advice for the systematic investigation of human factors in marine casualties and incidents and to allow the development of effective analysis and preventive action. The long-term intent is to prevent similar casualties and incidents in the future1.
1 For the purpose of these Guidelines, the term "marine casualties and incidents" includes occupational accidents resulting in loss of life or serious personal injury.
1.2 Ships operate in a highly dynamic environment; frequently the people on board follow a set routine of shift work disrupted by arrival at, working in, and sailing from port. This is an existence which involves living in the place of work for prolonged periods, creating a unique form of working life which almost certainly increases the risk of human error.
1.3 Historically, the international maritime community has approached maritime safety from a predominantly technical perspective. The conventional wisdom has been to apply engineering and technological solutions to promote safety and to minimize the consequences of marine casualties and incidents. Accordingly, safety standards have primarily addressed ship design and equipment requirements. Despite these technical innovations, significant marine casualties and incidents have continued to occur.
