Stress factors' impact on navigational safety

Abstract

Working at sea has its own characteristics and is considered one of the most stressful professions. This is due to the increased level of responsibility, unstable mental activity, hard physical work, conditions of real threat to life and health, including the absence of many components of psychological comfort. All this inevitably affects the level of safe operation of both the vessel and the industry as a whole. The urgent task in maritime safety, therefore, is primarily to raise awareness of the importance of the human factor among seafarers and to increase knowledge of the emotional problems and stresses faced by seafarers while at sea and how to deal with the consequences of these problems.