The commercial fishing industry is frequently described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The objective, to maximize the catch, is routinely challenged by a variety of elements due to the environment, the vessel, the crew, and several external considerations and how they interact with each other. The analysis of fishing vessel accidents can be complicated due to the diverse nature of the industry, including the species caught, the type and size of boat that is employed, how far travelled from their homeport, and the adequacy of the support organizations ensuring safe and uninterrupted operations. This study will develop and evaluate a version of Wiegmann and Shappell’s (2003) Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), specifically for commercial fishing industry vessels (HFACS-FV), using ten years of data documenting the causes of fatal accidents in the commercial fishing industry. For this study, the accident investigation information will be converted into the HFACS-FV format by independent raters and measured for inter-rater reliability. The results will be analyzed for the frequency of the causal factors identified by the raters, and causal factors will also be evaluated for their relationship with vessel demographic information. Based on the results, the conclusion of the study will determine the efficacy of the HFACS-FV model.
","abstract_html":"<p>The commercial fishing industry is frequently described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The objective, to maximize the catch, is routinely challenged by a variety of elements due to the environment, the vessel, the crew, and several external considerations and how they interact with each other. The analysis of fishing vessel accidents can be complicated due to the diverse nature of the industry, including the species caught, the type and size of boat that is employed, how far travelled from their homeport, and the adequacy of the support organizations ensuring safe and uninterrupted operations. This study will develop and evaluate a version of Wiegmann and Shappell’s (2003) Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), specifically for commercial fishing industry vessels (HFACS-FV), using ten years of data documenting the causes of fatal accidents in the commercial fishing industry. For this study, the accident investigation information will be converted into the HFACS-FV format by independent raters and measured for inter-rater reliability. The results will be analyzed for the frequency of the causal factors identified by the raters, and causal factors will also be evaluated for their relationship with vessel demographic information. Based on the results, the conclusion of the study will determine the efficacy of the HFACS-FV model.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zohorsky, Peter J."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Engineering Management & Systems Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Holly Handley","Cesar Pinto","Charles Daniels","George Yacus"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:35:38Z","subjects":["Commercial fishing safety","Human error","Human factors","Human Factors Analysis and Classification System","Human Factors Psychology","Operational Research","Systems Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9798678109811"],"render_values":[{"text":"9798678109811","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/178","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Holly Handley","Cesar Pinto","Charles Daniels","George Yacus"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zohorsky, Peter J."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-09-28T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Engineering Management & Systems Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Commercial fishing safety","Human error","Human factors","Human Factors Analysis and Classification System","Human Factors Psychology","Operational Research","Systems Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9798678109811","https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/178"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The commercial fishing industry is frequently described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The objective, to maximize the catch, is routinely challenged by a variety of elements due to the environment, the vessel, the crew, and several external considerations and how they interact with each other. The analysis of fishing vessel accidents can be complicated due to the diverse nature of the industry, including the species caught, the type and size of boat that is employed, how far travelled from their homeport, and the adequacy of the support organizations ensuring safe and uninterrupted operations. This study will develop and evaluate a version of Wiegmann and Shappell’s (2003) Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), specifically for commercial fishing industry vessels (HFACS-FV), using ten years of data documenting the causes of fatal accidents in the commercial fishing industry. For this study, the accident investigation information will be converted into the HFACS-FV format by independent raters and measured for inter-rater reliability. The results will be analyzed for the frequency of the causal factors identified by the raters, and causal factors will also be evaluated for their relationship with vessel demographic information. Based on the results, the conclusion of the study will determine the efficacy of the HFACS-FV model.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Human Error in Commercial Fishing Vessel Accidents: An Investigation Using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Holly Handley","Cesar Pinto","Charles Daniels","George Yacus"],"dc:creator":["Zohorsky, Peter J."],"dc:date.available":["2020-09-28T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The commercial fishing industry is frequently described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The objective, to maximize the catch, is routinely challenged by a variety of elements due to the environment, the vessel, the crew, and several external considerations and how they interact with each other. The analysis of fishing vessel accidents can be complicated due to the diverse nature of the industry, including the species caught, the type and size of boat that is employed, how far travelled from their homeport, and the adequacy of the support organizations ensuring safe and uninterrupted operations. This study will develop and evaluate a version of Wiegmann and Shappell’s (2003) Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), specifically for commercial fishing industry vessels (HFACS-FV), using ten years of data documenting the causes of fatal accidents in the commercial fishing industry. For this study, the accident investigation information will be converted into the HFACS-FV format by independent raters and measured for inter-rater reliability. The results will be analyzed for the frequency of the causal factors identified by the raters, and causal factors will also be evaluated for their relationship with vessel demographic information. Based on the results, the conclusion of the study will determine the efficacy of the HFACS-FV model.
"],"dc:identifier":["9798678109811","https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/178"],"dc:subject":["Commercial fishing safety","Human error","Human factors","Human Factors Analysis and Classification System","Human Factors Psychology","Operational Research","Systems Engineering"],"dc:title":["Human Error in Commercial Fishing Vessel Accidents: An Investigation Using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Engineering Management & Systems Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:35:38Z"}