The Problem
The aviation and maritime industries recognise that human factors are key to safety and are investing considerable resources into dedicated human factors activities. Yet the discipline, data and available techniques are rarely applied at the design and safety assessment stages, when they can be most effective.
The problem lies firstly in the scarcity of good human factors data derived from the investigation of safety events, and secondly in the lack of effective feedback loops from operations back to designers. Currently, the only recommendations likely to be seen as cost-effective are changes to training or procedures, i.e. training operators to cope with a poorly designed system.
The solution
SAFEMODE aims to correct this, via improved assessment and management of human risk factors within a risk-based design and operation framework for maritime and aviation industries. This will facilitate the involvement of human factors disciplines and techniques in the design and safety assessment stages.
