Hazard and Near-Miss Reporting – Safety Through Numbers?

Abstract

Contemporary safety literature recognizes that reporting hazards and near-misses is important in the development of safety in risk prone industries. The shipping industry is one such, but the success of safety reporting programs has been limited. Near-miss reporting is essential to the concept of “continuous improvement” as envisaged by the International Safety Management Code. However, shipping - like other industries - suffers from considerable under-reporting. Near-miss reporting programs can be both mandatory or voluntary. To encourage reporting, many companies require a mandatory number of reports from seafarers. Managers find positive correlations between near-miss reporting and shipboard safety - more the near-miss reports, safer the vessel. However, there is also a debate whether mandatory systems provide better insights, as these may be made just to meet quotas.

This study aims to understand if greater numbers of mandatory reports do in fact indicate effective safety performance. Data from a shipping company was analysed to determine if there are any significant correlations between hazards, near-misses and incidents. The study finds that although ‘quota’ reporting does increase reporting, this does not translate into a subsequent reduction of near-misses and incidents