Exploring Communication of the Maritime Bridge Team Using a Novel Speech Act Coding Scheme: A 'Pilot' Study

Abstract

Understanding the human factors underlying both failures and successes on ship bridges is key to improving maritime safety, increasing efficiency and productivity of bridge teams, and informing future training programmes and maritime policy and management. Previous research estimates approximately 80% of marine accidents are attributable, at least in part, to human factors. However, maritime human factors research is noticeably lacking, especially when compared to aviation and healthcare counterparts. One of the main advances in human factors research is the Crew Resource Management (CRM) training programme developed in aviation. The CRM has been applied to the maritime industry – now called the Bridge Resource Management (BRM), however currently there are limited conclusions about its effectiveness. The present study intended to address these issues by observing and analysing 28 mariners in a real bridge team training exercise on a full bridge simulator. To achieve a meaningful analysis, the following were measured: attitudes to BRM, bridge team perceptions of the Pilot, technical and nontechnical performance, and communication. To facilitate this process, a Speech Act Coding Scheme specific to maritime was formulated during the present study. The analysis revealed high inter-rater reliability for the new Speech Act Coding Scheme measurement tool. Furthermore there were statistically significant relationships between speech acts and bridge role, speech acts and performance, attitudes towards BRM and performance, and bridge team ratings of Pilots and performance. The findings can inform future assessment of BRM training programmes, and begin to form the basis of recommendations concerning the Pilot/bridge team relationship.