Development of a Human Cognitive Workload Assessment Tool

Considerable work has been undertaken into the physiological contributors to fatigue. However the mental or cognitive aspects are less well understood. The July 2004 MAIB Bridge Watchkeeping Safety Study report highlighted the significant risks to the safe operation of ships that result from an inadequate understanding of crew work/rest patterns. Specifically, little is known about methods of evaluating people’s mental processing abilities and requirements. Development of a robust tool to assess human cognitive workload will enable the MCA to address this need.

The tool will apply not only to cognitive overload, i.e. when too much is asked of an individual or team for them to cope with safely, but also to cognitive underload. This can arise in particularly passive conditions such as maintaining watch with autopilot on in an open and calm sea at night. Vigilance levels, and the ability to react to a sudden development, can be substantially reduced in such conditions.

After final in-house testing and evaluation, the tool will be released within the MCA and externally to the industry soon.

Contractor:         Human Reliability Associates

Project dates:     26 July 2005 – 25 August 2006