Human Factors in Maritime Applications: A New Opportunity for Multi-Modal Transportation Research

Human error has been shown to cause 65 − 80% of maritime casualties; this figure is similar to that of other industries. However, there has been little systematic research and development work in the area of maritime human factors. This paper presents a model of five technical domains that comprise a useful framework for conceptualizing human factors in the maritime industries. The multi-modal research potential in the areas of fatigue and the cognitive impacts of automation are discussed.