A Human and Organisational Factors (HOFs) analysis method for marine casualties using HFACS-Maritime Accidents (HFACS-MA)

•This paper proposes a new HFACS analogy for marine casualty investigation and analysis.•It also describes a systematic analysis procedure using HFACS-MA with WBA.•The combination of the analogy and the procedure can be used to complement the studies associated with HFACS and WBA.•The analytic results show the causality of an accident revealing latent conditions.•The use of the proposed method can help ensure the relevant latent conditions not being overlooked.

A dedicated Human and Organisational Factors (HOFs) framework for maritime accidents investigation and analysis is developed in this paper. A prototype of the framework is proposed and named as Human Factors Analysis and Classification System for Maritime Accidents (HFACS-MA). There are five levels in the framework which is in line with the core concepts of HFACS, Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model and Hawkins’ SHEL model. The framework also complies with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines. In addition to the framework, the proposed method integrates the HFACS-MA with a Why-Because Graph for accidents analysis providing a complement measure using HFACS. A case study regarding the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster demonstrates the proposed method and shows how a comprehensive insight into the accident can be gained via the integration of the analysis results as a complement to the HFACS analytical results. Several advantages that the framework provides for accident analysis are elaborated. Finally some considerations, including the further work, associated with the HFACS-MA are discussed and concluded in this paper.