Role of evidence in safety at sea

The Foundation is looking to gain a better understanding of how decisions that impact on safety at sea are made, and the role that evidence plays in these decisions. The long term aim is to ensure that decision making is driven by evidence of what works. 

We have commissioned the Seafarers’ International Research Centre (SIRC) to investigate the role of evidence and data in ensuring safety at sea by initially mapping the evidence considered by the maritime industry in safety related decision-making. 

Drawing on SIRC’s extensive knowledge of the subject, and using a combination of approaches, the research team will review the decision-making that takes place across each layer of the industry through desk based research and a range of stakeholder interviews. The review will then consider two examples of equipment where decisions about safety are required. The work will therefore consider evidence drawn upon by equipment designers/manufacturers, international regulators, regional regulators, national regulators, industry stakeholder bodies, trade unions and ship operators. 

These investigations will inform recommendations for further research into the processes and products currently being used to inform safety decisions within the maritime industry, how they have been developed, and the evidence-base.  

Findings from this investigation will be reported in the Spring of 2022, alongside ideas for the ways in which evidence within maritime might be classified and evaluated in the future, the challenges that may be associated with such a process and recommendations about how these might be overcome. 

For further information about the project, please get in touch via the form below.