scope:

Foreword: The maritime industry is becoming increasingly aware of, and is responding to, the important role of the human element within effective safety standards and practices. With increased attention to human element concerns being paid by organizations such as the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), among others, it is expected that the application of ergonomic data and principles to maritime systems will expand rapidly. This is entirely appropriate since many studies and authorities cite human error as the principal component for a majority of maritime accidents, yet the amount of ergonomic design guidance available to marine architects, designers, and engineers remains sparse. To meet this need, in 1998 ABS published its Guidance Notes on the Application of Ergonomics to Marine Systems. The document has enjoyed an enthusiastic reception by the maritime industry, and many organizations have adopted the Guidance Notes as a design reference. That success is due to the provision of industry-specific, internationally applicable ergonomic principles and criteria.

Since its publication, on-going review of the document and constructive industry feedback encouraged ABS to extensively revise and augment these Guidance Notes. This new edition updates the original through the inclusion of more recent and comprehensive data and includes new, industry requested guidance with respect to applications not included in the initial Guidance Notes. All of the original sections of the Guidance Notes have been reviewed and revised, with significant updates made to the sections on "Integration of Controls, Displays, and Alarms," and "Application of Ergonomics in Design". New sections have been added including: "Video Display Units and Computer Workstations," "Maintenance Considerations," and "Materials Handling." The "Crew Habitability" section replaces the former "Facility and Environmental Conditions" section.

This revision to the ABS Guidance Notes on the Application of Ergonomics to Marine Systems will continue the promotion, application, and understanding of ergonomic data and principles to vessel and offshore installation design. It is hoped that as these Guidance Notes are used, in concert with human system interface design processes, they will provide a wide range of information and data needed to integrate humans and systems, and thereby improve personnel performance and safety, and reduce human error.

The ergonomic guidance presented in this document is recommendatory. Compliance is not required although ABS strongly urges designers, owners, and operators to adopt these principles wherever feasible.