Editorial (16)

Some time ago, the United Kingdom's Chief Inspector of Accidents reported that one of his greatest concerns for safety in merchant vessels was complacency. This caused some people to suggest that his statement was an affront to the professional mariner, while others conceded that it was a serious issue that had yet to be addressed.

Complacency is but one of a number of character traits that can bring about a culture of non-compliance, lapses of judgment and unpro- fessional behaviour. In the book Darker Shades of Blue - The Rogue Pilot, the author introduces us to the term Rogue Behaviour, which he defines as willingly and unnecessarily failing to comply with existing guidance or taking unwarranted risks.

Rogue behaviour can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some rogue behaviour inducing conditions are readily recognisable: boredom, complacency, drudgery, familiarity, ignorance, impulsiveness, risk taking and routinisation.

Others may not be so easy to re- cognise: apathy, assumptions, compliance, contentment, contempt, dumbing-down, invulnerability, perceptions, predictability and seclusion - all of these are explored further in the centrespread feature of this bulletin (see page 4).

There is no 'catch-all' solution to the problem of rogue behaviour. Each of these character traits can be avoided through good management, by:

• providing a safe, secure and usable working environment, decent work- ing and living conditions and fair terms of employment;
• encouraging a healthy lifestyle;
• establishing an appropriate balance between the job and the people required to operate a ship safely and effectively;
• ensuring consistency in standards of education and training, through task/ system specific training, taking into account the job, the operational role and operating pattern of the ship, and the environment in which it is likely to work;
• conducting regular onboard continuation training, including table- top exercises on lessons learned from accident investigation reports;
• providing clear and concise operating instructions and technical and maintenance manuals;
• empowering the master and chief engineer as an extension of the shore management team,
• investing in the seafarer though the development of a 'company culture' based on transparency, participation, personal development and family involvement;
• motivating the seafarer towards a culture of compliance and professional pride.

Whether you call it Complacency or Rogue Behaviour, neither is the hallmark of a professional mariner...

Darker Shades of Blue - The Rogue Pilot, published by McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-034927-4