Maritime safety depends on human factors and leadership, not procedures alone

Seafarers may misjudge when and where they are most at risk on board, according to experts speaking at a maritime safety and human factors panel in London recently.


The discussion explored how fatigue, stress and leadership culture affect safety and why procedures alone cannot address every risk. Panellists called for prevention efforts to account for the condition of the person doing the work, and for management at sea and ashore to create an environment where seafarers feel able to raise concerns.


Loukia Pantelidi, a psychologist at OneCare Group, presented interim findings from the Group’s ongoing seafarer survey, which examines how seafarers themselves perceive risk onboard. Separately, the panel considered findings from Gard’s crew claims report, published earlier this year. Based on Gard’s claims data, the report found that injuries were most likely to occur during the first three months of a contract and between 8am and 10am, often while seafarers were carrying out planned, routine work.



OneCare Group’s survey approaches the issue from a different perspective, looking at where and when seafarers believe they are most at risk. Its interim findings show that just 4.2% of respondents identified the first three months of a contract as the highest-risk period, while 60% believed the level of risk remained broadly consistent throughout a contract. Half of respondents identified night watches as a period of heightened risk.

The two sets of findings therefore provide different but complementary perspectives: Gard’s data indicates when injuries have occurred, while OneCare Group’s research explores how seafarers perceive the risks they face. The comparison highlights the importance of understanding whether perceptions of risk always align with patterns seen in actual incidents and claims.



“The clock tells us when a task takes place, but it does not tell us the condition of the person performing it,” Ms Pantelidi said. “Human factors are not sitting alongside the safety picture, they are already inside it.”



Dr. Jens Tülsner (pictured), CEO of Marine Medical Solutions, a member of One Care Group, commented that onboard safety culture is shaped by leadership, from the master on board to decision-makers ashore. He said organisations also need to recognise that seafarers from different cultural backgrounds may communicate concerns in different ways.



“If we don’t manage the root causes, dealing with seafarers as grown-up individuals rather than assets, everything else becomes a management of symptoms only,” he said. He also called for seafarers to be recognised as key workers and urged the industry to address declining shore leave and inadequate rest hours. He also emphasised the need for leaders to practise self-reflection and authenticity.



Ms Pantelidi also added that strict hierarchies can create compliance through fear rather than psychological safety, leaving near misses unreported. She also called for fatigue to be measured in ways that reflect the context of a seafarer’s work. Fatigue, she said, is under-reported but often preventable.


Dr Tülsner also cautioned that wearable sleep trackers could become “another tool for control and continuous tracking” in a working environment where seafarers already have limited privacy.

The discussion concluded that lasting safety improvements depend on understanding how people work, creating space for seafarers to speak up and ensuring leaders take responsibility for the culture they set.