Complacency and Automation Bias in the Enbridge Pipeline Disaster

Abstract

Automation bias was likely the main contributing factor in the Enbridge pipeline disaster that occurred on July 26, 2010, when large amounts of crude oil were released into the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek. An examination of the Enbridge oil pipeline accident suggests that complacency and automation bias played leading roles but were overlooked by regulators. Moreover, we believe that because the National Transportation Safety Board overlooked existing research on automation bias, its recommendations are flawed and could exacerbate, rather than alleviate, the problem. Industry, policy makers, and regulators need to consider automation bias when developing systems to reduce the likelihood of complacency errors.