Near miss reporting

Near-miss reporting is the SMS process for capturing unplanned events that could have caused injury, damage, or pollution but did not. ISM Code section 9 requires the safety management system to ensure non-conformities, accidents, and hazardous situations, which include near-misses, are reported to the company, investigated, and analyzed to improve safety and pollution prevention. IMO guidance on near-miss reporting is in MSC-MEPC.7/Circ.7. Reports are submitted without blame, trended by the DPA, and closed out with corrective action under section 9.2. High near-miss reporting rates indicate a healthy safety culture, and the records are reviewed at internal audits and safety committee meetings.