Welcome to the home of TWiki.HEWG. This is an unofficial web-based collaboration area to support the work of the IMO MSC/MEPC Human Element Working Group (HEWG).

Statements on the Human Element

"........if we turn to consider how some of the global issues, such as safety, security and protection of the environment, manifest themselves within the specific maritime context, perhaps the most urgent concern we may be able to identify lies with the human element in shipping. I remain firmly convinced that the human element holds the key to unlocking solutions to many, if not all, of the problems the industry needs to address today.

Take the issue of safety, for example. It is not for nothing that IMO's Maritime Safety Committee has asked all its subsidiary bodies to keep uppermost in their minds, in any regulatory work they undertake, the role of the human element in safe operations; general analyses of marine accidents and incidents have revealed that, given the involvement of the human element in all aspects of marine endeavours (including design, manufacture, management, operation and maintenance), almost all marine casualties and incidents involve human factors."

Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, London, 6 March 2006 IMarEST World Maritime Technology Conference

* WMTC_IMO_SG.txt: Full text of speech

* ONeil2001_HumanElement.txt: Paper by Bill O'Neil, IMO Secretary General in 2001

Next Meeting

The next HEWG meeting is at MSC82 29 November - 8 December 2006, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Last Meeting

The HEWG last met on 18-20 July 2005, at MEPC53. Between 40 and 50 people attended, with delegates from 25 countries and 6 observers from Non Governmental Organizations. The Ergonomics Society was part of the UK delegation (MCA).

Plan

The group produced a strategy and an action plan. There was also animated discussion on what criteria and data are required to affect regulation on fatigue and manning.

The stakeholders of interest in the strategic plan are IMO itself, shipowners and managers, and the seafarer.

The action plan included developing guidance on safety culture, monitoring research on fatigue and developing guidance on communicating information clearly to seafarers.

There was an emphasis on ergonomics, including:

• Manual valve operation, access, location and orientation;
• Stairs, vertical ladders ramps, walkways and work platforms;
• Inspection and maintenance considerations;
• Working environment;
• The application of ergonomics to design (taken to be process guidance).

Site Tools of the HEWG Web

Notes:

• You are currently in the HEWG web. The color code for this web is this background, so you know where you are.
• If you are not familiar with the TWiki collaboration platform, please visit WelcomeGuest first.

Web	TWiki Site Map	Use to...
TWiki	Welcome, Registration, and other StartingPoints; TWiki history & Wiki style; All the docs...	...discover TWiki details, and how to start your own site.
Anthropometry	Collaborate on Anthropometry	...collaborate on
You can use color coding by web for identification and reference. This table is updated automatically based on WebPreferences settings of the individual webs. Contact if you need a separate collaboration web for your team. See also AdminTools.

Legend of icons:

= Go to the home of the web = Search the web

= See recent changes in the web = Subscribe to get notified of changes by e-mail

to top