SIG News
05 Dec 2023

Update - Letter to the SIG

This is an excerpt from a letter sent to members of the Human Element SIG in August 2023.

Meet the Chairs

Will Tutton has been a member of the Human Element Working Group (HEWG) for three years and took up the role of Chair this year. He is a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) Inspector and has worked in the defence sector for 20 years. He regularly instructs on accident investigation and human factors post graduate programmes.

Malek Pourzanjani took up the role of Chair of the HEWG this year. A former seafarer, he has worked in the maritime sector in particular higher education for the past 30 years. He is currently Head of Naval Education at MLA College and works closely with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on decarbonisation and revision of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). Malcolm Cook took up the role of Chair of the Human Element Working Group late last year. He has been combining forensic psychology with military human factors for 25 years and he is currently a Principal Engineer with BAE Systems Submarines.

Human Element Strategic Focus

This year we have had a rapid review of the HEWG strategic focus areas, which we hope to build more events and activities into:

  • Advocacy of the Human element
  • Forum to discuss how to best integrate the human element
  • Increasing awareness of the benefits of the human element to safety and production
  • Increasing the awareness of the shipping industry to human factors professionals in other sectors
  • Education and Training for marine professionals

If you have any thoughts on what we could do to push these areas forward, do get in touch.

Human Element SIG Activities

The HEWG activities for this year are focused on developing interest in the SIG and re-invigorating our activities. To do this we have the following activities planned:

  • Joint webinar with AI SIG on the Norwegian HUMANE (Human MAritime technology Enable) research programme, which focuses on the challenges in marine automation
  • HEWG re-launch livesteam, report back from our President and former HEWG chair Martin Shaw and CEO of the Nautical Institute John Lloyd on the impact that the Human Element Industry Group has been making at IMO, supported by HEWG members;
  • Lecture from Dr Claire Pekcan on achieving environmental goals through people management in shipping; and
  • Lecture from Dr Will Tutton on moving beyond human error in shipping towards an understanding of performance shaping factors.

HEWG chairs are also working with some event providers so will be back in touch when we have more news on workshops and other activities. For the moment, members be aware there are a few human element-related conferences coming up next year if you have an interest in attending or submitting a paper or presentation, including:

We hope to be involved with the IMarEST annual conference next year, still to be planned. The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors annual conference 2024 will be in April and there will be another Human Factors in shipping symposium being run towards the end of this year.

Get in touch and get involved!

The HEWG is keen to run activities you would like attend, so please get in touch with the chairs (Will: [email protected]; Malek: [email protected]) or [email protected] if you have ideas of what events or activities you would like the HEWG to do.

We are interested in hearing from enthusiastic people to join the SIG Committee. If you would like to join the committee, just get in touch and we can explain how the SIG works before you commit. We are very conscious we are all volunteers, so keen to ensure everyone feels supported and getting out what they want to from being on the committee.

If you are keen to present on the human element and the role of the SIG in your organisation or at another event, get in touch and we can support by providing our SIG briefing material to help you do that.

Will, Malek and Malcolm

Human Element Working Group Chairs

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