Investigation of maritime accidents with Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS)

Environmental disasters as well as loss of life and property can take place in maritime accidents. It is important to understand all the details of these accidents to minimize losses and disasters. However effective measures will be taken results of lots of studies are taken into consideration and when all causes and active factors are obtained. Therefore it is important to report and examine all accidents in detail. This study, in general, is an examination of collision and grounding accidents in the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). Firstly, general evaluation performed according to year, month, watch time, vessel type, gross tonnage, bridge team in the collision and grounding accidents and evaluation about International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) for collision accident. After general evaluation, frequency and distribution of ship-ship collision, ship-fishing vessel collision accidents and grounding accidents by HFACS category are examined and statistical tests are applied. Chi-Square Independence Test, Simple Correspondence Analysis and Multiple Correspondence Analysis are used as statistical methods. In conclusion this study reveals the human factors based differences between ship-ship and ship-fishing vessel collision accidents and between collision and grounding accidents. The most important HFACS categories are unsafe acts and preconditions for unsafe acts, moreover the most important subcategories are decision errors, resource management deficiencies and violations that are determined.