How should diving incidents be reported and investigated?

• A. Immediately report to management, but skip documentation.
• B. Documented after several days.
• C. Inspections are sufficient; no incident report.
• D. Following company policy and regulatory requirements, documenting facts, interviewing witnesses, and implementing corrective actions.

Answer: (D)

The essential practice is to follow a formal incident reporting and investigation process that complies with company policy and regulatory requirements. This means reporting promptly through the established channels, documenting facts in a clear and objective way, interviewing witnesses and involved divers, preserving evidence, and conducting a structured investigation to identify root causes and contributing factors. After that, implement corrective actions and monitor their effectiveness, and share findings with the proper authorities as required.

This approach ensures you meet regulatory and organizational obligations, creates a reliable record for lessons learned, and drives safety improvements to prevent recurrence. Skipping documentation, delaying recording, or assuming inspections alone satisfy the process misses critical steps and leaves incidents unaddressed and potentially repeatable.