Alert! - Frequently asked questions

What is the Human Element?

There is no accepted international definition of the term ‘the human element’.

The IMO, through its Resolution A.947(23) - Human Element Vision, Principles and Goals for the Organization – refers to the human element as:

‘A complex multi-dimensional issue that affects maritime safety, security and marine environmental protection. It involves the entire spectrum of human activities performed by ships. crews, shore-based management, regulatory bodies, recognized organizations, shipyards, legislators, and other relevant parties, all of whom need to co-operate to address human element issues effectively.’

In the maritime context, it can be taken to embrace anything that influences the interaction between a human and any other human, system or machine onboard ship.

Although the phrase may be fairly recent in origin, the impact of people in the maritime safety system has been with us as long as mankind has sailed the seas. Nevertheless, the particular issues that this presents are not constant. The people, systems and machines have changed, not only through the increase in technology, but also because of the need for operators to maintain the competitive edge by reducing running costs. This has resulted in a reduction in manning scales and the employment of multinational, multicultural and multilingual crews.

Furthermore, the increasing reliance upon complex systems in merchant ship operations places certain demands and constraints on the human element, not least in terms of the competence of the user and of the organizational and physical environment in which he/she is required to operate.

IMO Resolution A.947(23) recognizes ‘the need for increased focus on human-related activities in the safe operation of ships, and the need to achieve and maintain high standards of safety, security and environmental protection for the purpose of significantly reducing maritime casualties”; and that “human element issues have been assigned high priority in the work programme of the Organization because of the prominent role of the human element in the prevention of maritime casualties.’

The human element is a critical feature of all aspects of ship or system design and operation. Human element considerations do not just start when a ship is launched and end when it is sold on or scrapped – they exist throughout its lifecycle, including at the conception, design and build stages.