System Theory and Human Factors Hazard Identification Approach for Marine Survey Operation

Abstract Marine survey operation is one of the most frequent and essential activities in enhancing ocean knowledge. Some dangerous tasks and activities involve scientists, marine crews, survey equipment, and sensors, such as deploying equipment near the seabed, collecting the sediment sample, and towing the equipment with the ship’s movement. Since it consists of several controllers and components, the comprehensive system theory must be applied to analyse the risk, and the effect of human error must be incorporated as the equipment’s controller within the system. This study provides a holistic hazard identiMication of marine survey operation by using System Theory Process and Analysis (STPA) and integrating it with the Human Factors ClassiMication System (HFACS) to deMine the unsafe control actions (UCA) and failure scenarios. According to the STPA, 194 UCAs could occur. The main causal factors of the UCAs are human and followed by technical errors. The STPA-HFACS analysis indicated that additional human and equipment actions would have a detrimental effect on the failures of the operation. This study will beneMit stakeholders in marine survey operations with an alternative method for risk analysis.