The maritime industry recognizes the important role of the human element in maritime safety and is responding accordingly with effective design practices, standards and associated management systems. With increased attention to human element concerns by organizations such as the IMO, with recent Goal-Based Standard (GBS) requirements for ergonomic considerations in vessel design, and with requirements for increased focus on crew habitability and safety contained in the International Labor Organization's Maritime Labor Convention (ILO MLC), it is expected that the application of ergonomics, human factors engineering (HFE), and habitability data and principles to maritime systems will expand. As a result, it is important to identify and directly apply relevant HFE/ergonomics-related guidance. This paper presents information reinforcing the continued need to address human element concerns in maritime systems as well as how the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is tackling these concerns. The ABS Ergonomics Model for addressing human element concerns and current ABS activities to help improve mariner safety, crew task performance, and shipboard quality of life are presented. ABS human element-related topics include crew habitability, the assessment of safety culture, the identification of potential leading indicators of safety, mariner personal safety, and the application of ergonomics in a maritime environment.
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