A Human-Centred Approach to Accident Analysis

The form and scope of accident investigation reports reflect underlying assumptions about causality, responsibility, and learning. Although official investigations address technical, human, and systemic factors, the way inquiry is structured shapes how coordination and sensemaking are examined, often leaving these dimensions implicit. This study offers a human-centred reinterpretation that makes these aspects more explicit. When comparable accidents are investigated under similar premises, this may result in recurring patterns in how causes are framed and learning is articulated. This article presents a parallel analysis of two Norwegian maritime accidents: Thor Heyerdahl and Helge Ingstad, based on official investigation reports and examined through the lens of an established accident investigation maturity model. The analysis identifies recurring patterns across the two cases in how causal factors are framed, which questions are posed, and how learning is defined, as well as elements that remain outside the analytical scope of the investigations. The article concludes by discussing how these patterns relate to the maturity level of the investigative approach and how a human-centred perspective on accident analysis may support broader organizational learning in high-risk maritime contexts.

Keywords: Human factors, Socio-organizational learning, Human-centred analysis, Maritime accident, Accident investigation.