Routine should spring from the core - not the checklist
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘complacent’ as ‘smug and uncritically satisfied with oneself or one’s achievements’. Mao Zedong said simply: Complacency is the enemy of study.
“A man’s work is in danger of deteriorating when he thinks he has found the one best formula for doing it. If he thinks that, he is likely to feel that all he needs is merely to go on repeating himself...so long as a person is searching for better ways of doing his work, he is fairly safe.”
(Eugene O’Neill, playwright)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘complacent’ as ‘smug and uncritically satisfied with oneself or one’s achievements’. Mao Zedong said simply: Complacency is the enemy of study
Taking these as themes, I am convinced that the advent of the Safety Management Systems engendered by the ISM Code have been, in part, responsible for the ‘dumbing down’ of our industry – a slavish devotion to the ‘checklist' and an unfortunate ‘tick it’ mentality giving rise to a situation quite contrary to the intent of the IMO.
The fundamental problem we face is how to generate a Safety Culture and mindset of professionalism through empowerment of navigating and engineer officers.
Manuals, checklists and reports have a place, but it is in human values, attitudes, mindset, perceptions, competencies and patterns of behaviour that we need to exert most influence to enhance safety culture.
The airline industry may provide some cues:
- Increase the use of simulators to constantly challenge and test ongoing professional skills.
- ‘Revolve’ shipboard tasks so that all members of the team are exposed to different aspects of the jobs they perform. Increase the role of active cross-checking (versus countersigning the checklist!).
- Be prepared to move away from the old-fashioned 4-on/8-off watch routine to one of carefully assessing human bio- rhythms and in particular doing careful planning into a balanced hours of work AND rest routine.
- Develop the notion of ‘Pilot flying/pilot not flying’ especially between Master and Chief Officer for port arrival and departure.
- Develop strict guidelines and practices to clarify and improve the relationships and tasks shared and executed between Bridge Team Management and the Pilot.
- Apply careful criteria and desired outcomes to the period of handover between officers and assure the process by exerting active third-party integrity checking.
- Assess in-port activities. Banish unnecessary work routines that help create fatigue.
Over-reliance on technology appears to me to be a root failure. Maybe it is possible to have ‘technology-free days’ so that a return to basic skills can remind officers to believe in themselves?
In many ways the SMS has become the lowest common denominator in terms of the human element onboard. A return to professionalism is long overdue. Routine should spring from the core - not the checklist.