Underlying factors which cause task deviation leading to dangerous situations at sea

Simultaneous tasks as a contributory factor to maritime accidents: A socio-cultural approach

“…Task deviation is a divergence from a specified sequence of tasks in a procedure which could lead to adverse events (Rajapakse & Emad, 2021). When the actual sequence of tasks conducted by a seafarer at sea (WAD) is different to the prescribed sequence of tasks in a procedure (WAI) provided by the ship operator, task deviation occurs.…”

“…Although task deviation due to discrepancies between WAI and WAD does not always lead to mishaps, Kontogiannis (1999) shows that an unfavourable event is unavoidable only if the resultant deviation is not rectified before it is too late. Rajapakse and Emad (2021) pointed out that one of the underlying factors which cause discrepancies between WAI and WAD is multitasking, and socio-cultural attributes of the shipping industry may have a part to play in this misalignment between WAI and WAD at sea, leading to task deviations (Corrigan et al, 2018).…”

“…Our earlier study shows that 'work as done' (WAD) by seafarers can be different from 'work as imagined' (WAI) by shipping companies who design the procedures and checklists (Rajapakse et al, 2019). It is improbable for onshore designers of work task procedures to predict all intricacies which may occur while working onboard ships (Hollnagel, 2013;Rajapakse & Emad, 2021). This has led to the design of less than perfect procedures and checklists that may provoke task deviations (Loukopoulos et al, 2009).…”

“…This has led to the design of less than perfect procedures and checklists that may provoke task deviations (Loukopoulos et al, 2009). In this context, we defined the task deviation as a departure from the specified task sequence in a procedure provided by the work task designers (WAI), which may lead to accidents (Rajapakse & Emad, 2021). Frequently, engaging in simultaneous tasks during work execution (WAD) leads to task deviation (Spink et al, 2008).…”

Covid-19 and after: About human factors and welfare in shipping

“…Furthermore, chronic issues such as excessive workload and fatigue in shipping (McVeigh et al 2019;Galić, Sić, Slišković 2023;Rajapakse, Emad 2021), which heightened during the pandemic (Shan 2022;Pauksztat, Grech, Kitada 2022;Ozabor et al 2023;Zhao, Tang, Wu 2023), peaked in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic (Zhao et al 2023). While COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, allowing free movement and certain stability (Wijaya 2023), essential seafarers' well-being features seem unaddressed.…”