Delivering a change at sea

Submarines and naval ships are among the world’s most complex socio-technical systems, crewed by dozens of personnel who live and work in a restricted space on or underneath the ocean for months at a time. BAE Systems is the UK’s main provider of naval vessels and its expanding human factors team is central to the effectiveness of its design and products. As Alan Felstead, Whole Boat Design Lead for the Specialist Engineering and Technology Group, pointed out, human factors is at the core of efforts to make sure vessels are safe, operable and deliver the performance.