THE RELIABILITY OF SAILORS’ PROFESSIONAL WORK: THE MAIN DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
Authors:   Danube Institute of the National University “Odessa Maritime Academy”, Soroka Olena 
Published: November 2020

The article presents the systematic theoretical and methodological analysis of psychological aspects of sailors’ professional work reliability. Sailors’ reliability is associated with their performance capacity, which affects efficiency of their work and reflects, to a greater extent, the procedural work characteristics. We have determined the main integral indicators of sailors’ work: efficiency (work achievements: productivity, speed, completeness, etc.) and quality (functional or technical characteristics). A marine specialist’s reliability is determined by their erroneous actions or through the category of human performance capacity, but this category focuses mainly on a specialist’s internal potentialities and capabilities, but does not fully disclose the working process (stability of functioning) and its result (reliability, failure-free). The features of sailors’ stress and its consequences are described. The features of sea transport specialists’ professional competence in the aspect of psychological readiness for work are determined. The reliability of sailors’ professional work is determined not only by professional characteristics, but also by their motivational, cognitive, psychomotor, emotional-volitional, temperamental and personal characteristics. Researchers describe the signs of professional work reliability with the aim not only to identify the procedural and effective parameters of work, but also to determine corresponding psychophysiological characteristics. The parameters assessing sailor’s psychological readiness to reliable professional work are determined. The psychological and physiological mechanisms stabilizing sea and river transport specialists’ health is determined; we should point that prolonged and intensive work lead to decreased working capability, fatigue, as a natural body reaction determined physiologically. The mechanisms stabilizing psychological health and the main stages of the formation of marine specialists’ work reliability are theoretically substantiated: potential professional physical and psychological readiness, individual characteristics leading to professional mistakes at sea, high-quality professional education and further trainings, adaptation to professional activities at sea, regular work. Regular trainings are important, because they help to improve sailors’ psycho-emotional stability. Professional training for the specialists should involve the development of their self-regulation as a psychological mechanism ensuring the reliability of their professional work. Psychological support of professional education can act as a technology forming the reliability of marine specialists’ professional work. Such psychological support shall help to create an orientation field for sailors’ professional development, strengthening their professional Self, maintaining their adequate self-esteem, helping them master the methods for professional psychological self-preservation. However, the widely used practice to assess only limited number of skills limits also the development of a holistic portfolio that includes all the necessary skills required for good reliability and efficiency at the workplace with certain responsibility. The examined scientific studies have shown that maritime transport specialists’ work take place in extreme conditions, so in order to improve their reliability, training alerts, simulators, business games and psychological trainings should be used.