Latent Conditions, Safety Barriers and Situational Factors for Maritime Accidents in the Sound Area

The Sound Area, located between Sweden and Denmark, is one of the most intensely trafficked waters in the world with complex traffic patterns and a bridge/tunnel under construction, which will link the two countries. This high level of complexity increases the probability of both maritime accidents and very negative consequences of them. This paper presents the ergonomic part of an ongoing multidisciplinary pilot project with the objective of identifying and describing maritime risks in the Sound Area. This part concentrates upon the role which people, human-machine-systems and organizations on board ships and in association with maritime activity in the area play as risk and safety factors. Information is being collected through literature, marine accident reports, and exploratory case studies. Preliminary findings are presented in the paper.