Checklist completed? An examination of checklist design in shipping

Abstract

The checklist is a widely used tool for improving safety in aviation and maritime operations as well as improving surgical care. In aviation checklists have been used with great success for decades. While they have become more common in the maritime industry as well, there is still some resistance towards the procedure. The purpose of this review was to find whether or not there is a systematic approach to creating checklists in shipping or in other fields, and if there is knowledge in other fields that could be utilized to improve the design of maritime checklists. To answer these questions, a systematic literature study was conducted. It investigated earlier research related to checklists that have been made in various areas. To make the study as systematic as possible the PRISMA method was used combined with conversations with certain persons with insight in the shipping industry and how checklists implemented. The review did not find any research published on maritime checklists, however, that does not disprove that there is a systematic approach to the design of checklists in shipping. It did find a significant amount of research concerning aviation and medicine, indicating that there is a systematic approach in those fields. Design recommendations based on human factors research were presented.