IACS REC 192: why the human-element approach is becoming critical for maritime safety

The public release of IACS Recommendation 192 signals an important shift: maritime safety frameworks are moving beyond pure technical compliance toward a stronger human-element perspective.

REC 192 introduces an early-stage impact assessment approach that helps working groups evaluate how new resolutions, interpretations and recommendations affect people in real operations. This matters because many incidents emerge from complex interactions between humans, systems, procedures and organizational constraints—not from hardware failure alone.

For shipowners, yards and operators, the practical value is clear: human-centered design can reduce operational errors, improve alarm handling, strengthen onboard ergonomics and increase usability of procedures under pressure.

Equally important, REC 192 supports alignment with the IMO human-element agenda by creating a shared method for discussing human impact across design, operations and regulatory domains. Organizations that embed this approach early are likely to be better prepared for future standards and audits.

In this sense, REC 192 should be treated not merely as a compliance reference, but as a risk-reduction tool that can improve day-to-day performance and resilience across maritime operations.

Image attribution (legal source): Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash — image link; license Unsplash License.

Versiunea în română: https://www.anconav.ro/ro/iacs-rec-192-abordarea-human-element-critica-siguranta-maritima/