Prevention through people

Abstract

This paper examines the status of action taken in the United States and internationally to prevent oil spills by addressing human factors. The real cause of 60% to 80% of all oil discharges is human error. People, not technology, are the key. There is a shift in prevention from technology to people in six major areas in the maritime community: USCG licensing procedures for crew; the ISM code under SOLAS; self-policing by industry; the USCG Point System; MARPOL 73/78 Port State Control; and use of the Intervention on the High Seas Convention. As an example of lessons to be learned, this paper makes specific reference throughout to the 798,000-gallon oil spill of no. 6 diesel fuel from the Morris J. Berman off San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January 1994, and to the human factors that caused that spill.