Contribution of human factors to fishing vessel accidents and near misses in the UK

The research paper in hand presents a thorough exploration of the fishing vessel accidents and near misses in the UK fishing industry as well as the underlying human element factors and sub-factors contributing to them. In this respect, the regulatory regime in the fishing industry both at national and international level is initially examined while also complemented by the investigation of past research efforts to address these issues. Furthermore, the analysis of the fishing vessels accidents and near misses as recorded in the UK MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) database for a period of 19 years is performed in order to derive the causal factors leading to the fishing vessel accidents. It is initially shown that the fatalities and injuries taking place due to fishing vessels’ accidents have alarmingly remained unchanged over the last 15-20 years. Another key finding is that the number of accidents and near misses per day and night shifts is quite similar while most accidents take place in coastal waters. Furthermore, human factors are related to the vast majority of fishing vessels accidents with the principal ones referring to “non-compliance”, “equipment misuse or poorly designed”, “training” and “competence”. Finally, remedial measures are also suggested in order to address the main accident causes identified.