The operating environment of high-speed workboats has become increasingly demanding in terms of human performance. In rescue, defence, police, and other professional maritime-related operations, boats move at ever higher speeds, and the cognitive demands on crew performance are challenging. Maritime organisations are responsible for ensuring and supporting crew performance; however, this work has been hindered by a lack of information on the factors that affect crew performance. Although the understanding of human factors has increased in maritime in recent years, much remains to be done.   In a recently published paper , we defined eight competencies, structured as behavioural markers, that lead to excellent performance by high-speed workboat crews in cockpit work and can promote maritime safety and operational efficiency. Behavioural markers refer to a taxonomy of the crew's key skills, knowledge, and attitude associated with crew performance, safety, and efficiency in operations and illustrate them using example behaviours.   The behavioural marker taxonomy was based on aviation standards, further reasoned by human factor models and maritime knowledge. The pioneering work in international civil aviation to improve human performance and operational safety significantly supported our research and provided a background structure against which other data was compared. Behavioural markers were formed utilising content analysis, and they were validated at the prototype level using observation data from actual cockpit work. At the same time, we ensured that the competence taxonomy described the actual activities.   How can taxonomy be utilised in high-speed maritime?   Our study contributes to improving crew and operational performance, as well as safety, and to developing sociotechnical systems in the field. Behavioural markers help operators at different levels of maritime organisations develop sharp-end work and positively influence background processes. In the formation of the taxonomy, special attention was paid to the fact that behavioural markers support the group work and resource management of cockpit work. In our previous study, Human factor analysis of cockpit work incidents in high-speed workboats: the mystery hidden between the line s , we identified development needs specifically in these areas of human factors.   The taxonomy of competencies, defined in behavioural markers, can be effectively used in the development of practical activities, such as safety management, synchronisation of organisational levels, components of the maritime sociotechnical system, standard operating procedures, and incident and accident investigation. The evaluation and support of crews in training work is significantly more accurate, fair and effective when both instructors and crews are better aware of the desired behaviours. To analyse human activity that is difficult to assess and more non-technical in nature, concrete and detailed behavioural markers are essential. This need has been identified in several safety-critical sectors. The scientific contribution of this study complements the chain of previous maritime behavioural marker taxonomies.   Our research can be used to promote the development of modern seamanship and support maritime organisations and the crews of high-speed boats and larger vessels in their demanding work. To succeed in this, we need to foster increasing cooperation among crew members, crews, maritime organisations, and their various levels, as well as safety-critical sectors. It is essential to continually produce new information and promote cooperation between researchers and practitioners.   Mikko Lehtimäki, Doctoral researcher, HF specialist Lehtimäki, M., & Teperi, A. M. (2025). Developing behavioural markers of high-speed workboat crews’ competencies. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics , 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2025.2499338 The authors wish to thank the following for their invaluable support: the Finnish Cultural Foundation of South Ostrobothnia, the Otto A. Malm Foundation, the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, the Coastal and Freshwater Traffic Foundation, the Gustav B. Thorden Foundation, the Foundation for the Promotion of Fisheries and Maritime, the Finnish Maritime Foundation, and the Funder of work research and development.   They are also grateful to the participating maritime organisations, Traficom and the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland, the Safety Investigation Authority of Finland, and the aviation community for all the information they have provided.   The first author expresses his sincere gratitude for the invaluable support from Research Professor and Docent Anna-Maria Teperi at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.   #crewperformance #humanperformance #behaviouralmarker #humanfactors #highspeedmaritime #highspeedworkboats #crewtransfervessels #maritimesafety #cockpitwork

The long-known prerequisite for continuously improving operations in safety-critical fields is gathering and analysing event data. In high-speed maritime, this is not always the case. There are multiple bottlenecks between the work-as-imagined and the reality.   In the recently published paper in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, we studied the human factors (HF) analysis of cockpit work incidents on high-speed workboats maritime. In this field, the crews work in demanding operations of rescue, defense, police, piloting, and other professional maritime, as well as in larger high-speed crafts, for example, in the crew transfer vessels in the globally growing energy business. These sectors have high relevance also in security of supply and ensuring critical functions of society.   The study gathered data from incident reporting and accident investigations in Finland from 2009-2021 and analysed it with the sociotechnical HF Tool concept. Gathering the data was not without challenges. This was where the first implication for development was identified. In safety-critical maritime, more information should be gathered through safety reporting to improve operations.   The limited perspectives on human factors   We found out that HF was, as is often the case in the maritime sector, analysed and understood through individual crew members. Simultaneously, the group-level HF was seldom analysed. These perspectives shift responsibility from the management to the front line – and cause trouble for functional safety reporting. However, in their recommendations for further development, maritime organizations emphasized group-level HF to a greater extent than they were considered in the incident reports.   Despite their role in systemic performance, HF related to the technical and information environment was rarely mentioned in connection with the incidents. Although the Safety Investigation Authority Finland (SIAF) paid relatively more attention to these HFs, the technical design of the cockpits should be emphasized more clearly in sociotechnical operations. As in the previous context, the “outsiders” perspective of the SIAF was also important regarding organizational HFs. Understandably, the maritime organizations do not investigate themselves, although it would have a significant value.   The results showed room for development in understanding the diverse human performance. Human consequences of the actions were often treated as factors influencing the incidents. Although complex phenomena, such as situational awareness, can be a factor or a consequence, attention should be paid to developing actions that affect it rather than grabbing an explanation that is too easy to be true.     The development of high-speed maritime requires improved cooperation   Competence assurance and working methods were the HFs often considered to play a negative or positive role in incidents. We propose that the pivotal crew competencies and the procedures reflecting them be analysed and developed to ensure effective resource management, considering human performance more sophisticatedly.   The high speeds of modern high-speed boats and vessels challenge the crews' cognition. Under these circumstances, the incomplete mastery of human factors in the operating system compromises the safety of the crews. There is a need for improved constant learning from events.   We recommend that data gathering from the events where safety has been improved or impaired is improved in the field. The prerequisite is data analysis based on an improved understanding of human factors at all organisational levels. When the analysis is carried out effectively and legitimately, more information is provided through safety reporting. If individuals are unfairly judged, no more information will emerge.   Enhanced cooperation at all levels of operations is needed – between the crews, organizational sectors, shipowners, and safety-critical fields, from which the maritime still has a lot to learn.   Mikko Lehtimäki, Doctoral researcher, HF specialist    The author expresses his sincere thanks for the invaluable support from research professor and docent Anna-Maria Teperi in the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Lehtimäki, M., & Teperi, A. M. (2025). Human factor analysis of cockpit work incidents in high-speed workboats: the mystery hidden between the lines. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2024.2445979   This work was supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation of South Ostrobothnia, the Otto A. Malm Foundation, the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, the Coastal and Freshwater Traffic Foundation, the Gustav B. Thorden Foundation, the Foundation for the Promotion of Fisheries and Maritime, the Finnish Maritime Foundation and the Funder of work research and development   #humanfactors #safetyreporting #hftool #highspeedmaritime #highspeedworkboats #crewtransfervessels #maritimesafety #humanperformance #accidentinvestigation #fioh #univaasa