Engaging safety delegates in a collaborative ship design process

Involving users in the design and development processes of new products, systems and work-spaces has become increasingly important, the earlier in a design process, the better. The present paper reports a project aiming to (1) develop and test a training course for seafarer safety delegates in systematic work environment analysis of ship drawings, suitable for learners with little or no previous experience of drawings, and (2) explore and critically asses the value of such an education effort in terms of usefulness for an actual ship design process.The methodology is inspired by the action research framework and problem-based learning methods with the main research tools being observations and systematic reflections on practice and theory.A test of the developed training course involved 25 safety delegates from nine different Swedish shipping companies. The learning activities included lectures and designated problem-based group work using authentic ship drawings, use scenarios and other stimuli material. At the end of the course the delegates were asked to fill in a course evaluation.The preliminary results maintain pedagogical theories regarding the importance of problem-based learning as a means of facilitating deeper understanding of a complex topic. Furthermore, the delegates’ focus on functionality is believed to complement and add value to an otherwise rule-based ship design process, balancing the prevalent technical detail perspective. In the end, the outcome of the improved design might contribute towards safer and more efficient ship

Developing a Value Proposition of Maritime Ergonomics

There is a large body of knowledge available on the importance of ergonomics for successful(and unsuccessful) systems. Domain specific handbooks, guidelines and standards can befound also for the maritime industry. Yet, the deteriorating figure of maritime casualties andthe high incidence of occupational accidents suggest this knowledge is not utilised to its fullpotential.Emphasis in this thesis was given to the knowledge base of ergonomics in vessel design andoperation. Specifically, the aim was to develop a value proposition of maritime ergonomics,positioning the potential core values of ergonomics that can be delivered to stakeholders withinand outside the maritime transport system. This project has therefore taken an exploratoryqualitative approach.Seven studies have been performed, structured around three themes: maritime ergonomics,the effects of maritime ergonomics on operational performance, and the development andtransfer of ergonomics knowledge. The methods used were mainly literature studies, individualand focus group interviews, observation and case study.The results of the studies show a link between ergonomics and the value creating process inthe maritime transport system. The developed value proposition describes the value for theemployee in terms of improved health and well-being, learning, performance, skill discretionand independence in life. Values for the company include increased operational performanceand flexibility, advantages in recruiting and retaining personnel and organizational learning.Values for the sector include competitive strength, attractiveness of work and increased organizationallearning across the industry. Values for the society include reduced costs for healthcare and social security, reduced environmental impact, and a sustainable working life.To conclude, these results can be seen as a first step to make visible the effects of ergonomicsmanagement on overall systems performance in the maritime domain. Suggestions for furtherwork include complementary studies to investigate the feasibility in early crew participationand incorporating ergonomics methods and techniques in the toolboxes of naval architectsand other system builders

Developing a Value Proposition of Maritime Ergonomics

There is a large body of knowledge available on the importance of ergonomics for successful(and unsuccessful) systems. Domain specific handbooks, guidelines and standards can befound also for the maritime industry. Yet, the deteriorating figure of maritime casualties andthe high incidence of occupational accidents suggest this knowledge is not utilised to its fullpotential.Emphasis in this thesis was given to the knowledge base of ergonomics in vessel design andoperation. Specifically, the aim was to develop a value proposition of maritime ergonomics,positioning the potential core values of ergonomics that can be delivered to stakeholders withinand outside the maritime transport system. This project has therefore taken an exploratoryqualitative approach.Seven studies have been performed, structured around three themes: maritime ergonomics,the effects of maritime ergonomics on operational performance, and the development andtransfer of ergonomics knowledge. The methods used were mainly literature studies, individualand focus group interviews, observation and case study.The results of the studies show a link between ergonomics and the value creating process inthe maritime transport system. The developed value proposition describes the value for theemployee in terms of improved health and well-being, learning, performance, skill discretionand independence in life. Values for the company include increased operational performanceand flexibility, advantages in recruiting and retaining personnel and organizational learning.Values for the sector include competitive strength, attractiveness of work and increased organizationallearning across the industry. Values for the society include reduced costs for healthcare and social security, reduced environmental impact, and a sustainable working life.To conclude, these results can be seen as a first step to make visible the effects of ergonomicsmanagement on overall systems performance in the maritime domain. Suggestions for furtherwork include complementary studies to investigate the feasibility in early crew participationand incorporating ergonomics methods and techniques in the toolboxes of naval architectsand other system builders

Granskning av ritningar ur ett arbetsmilj\uf6perspektiv: En handbok f\uf6r att unders\uf6ka arbetsmilj\uf6n p\ue5 fartyg vid ny- och ombyggnad

Denna handbok \ue4r ett resultat av ett forskningsprojekt som syftar till att f\uf6renkla granskningen av fartygsritningar ur ett arbetsmilj\uf6perspektiv. Forskningsprojektet genomf\uf6rdes p\ue5 Chalmers tekniska h\uf6gskolas institution f\uf6r produkt- och produktionsutveckling, avdelning Design & Human Factors, och finansierades av Stiftelsen Sveriges Sj\uf6manshus. Projektledare vid Chalmers har varit Anna-Lisa Osvalder.F\uf6r att minska risken f\uf6r olyckor och oh\ue4lsa och \ue4r det viktigt att ta h\ue4nsyn till arbetsmilj\uf6n redan n\ue4r man planerar att bygga ett nytt fartyg eller bygga om delar av ett fartyg. Det \ue4r i planeringsskedet som det \ue4r l\ue4ttast att p\ue5verka hur arbetsmilj\uf6n kommer att bli. N\ue4r fartyget v\ue4l \ue4r byggt kan det vara b\ue5de sv\ue5rt och dyrt att g\uf6ra \ue4ndringar. Metoden f\uf6r granskning som denna handbok beskriver har till stor del utvecklats med hj\ue4lp av sj\uf6m\ue4n och deltagare vid SEKO Sj\uf6folks skyddsombudsutbildningar

Ergonomics: An uncharted route to improved overall systems performance in shipping

Continuously, improved design of hull, propulsion and cargo handling systems has increased speed, capacity and reliability of sea transports. Simultaneously, efforts have been made to perfect crew size and composition in order to optimize operations costs. Mechanization, automation and communications technology has made many manual tasks redundant,enabling ship operations with a minimum of manpower. However, there is an area of potential yet uncharted: occupational ergonomics and the interface between human and technology. As technological systems increase in complexity, the gap between the operatorand the system tend to increase as well, causing inefficient operations, as well as maritime and occupational accidents.The purpose of the present thesis was to present how increased knowledge of ergonomics can contribute to improved overall systems performance and employee well‐being in the shipping industry. Using a qualitative, exploratory research approach, three studies havebeen performed. The studies addressed the key issues of maritime economics, the strategic constituents of maritime economics and how a shipping company’s overall systemsperformance can be operationalized and linked to ergonomic principles.It was found that there is a lack of knowledge within the Swedish shipping industry on the economic effects of ergonomics, indicating a need for suitable methods in this respect. Further, it was concluded that overall systems performance in terms of productive time, operational efficiency, quality and employee well‐being in shipping would benefit from a ship design that allows not only for operability, but also takes into account the ship’smaintainability, working conditions, habitability and survivability for a safe and efficient ship operation over time.Suggestions for further work include a quantitative study, investigating the availability of data as well as empirically validate the proposed theoretical links between ergonomics knowledge and systems performance