What should be done after an incident or near miss?

• A. Document and review the event
• B. Ignore it
• C. Increase workload
• D. Report to the client only

Answer: (A)

After an incident or near miss, the immediate step is to document and review it. Recording what happened, when, where, who was involved, equipment used, dive conditions, and any injuries or near-miss details preserves the information needed for later investigation. This creates a clear record that can be analyzed to understand why the event occurred and what changes are needed.

Reviewing the event leads to identifying root causes and contributing factors, whether they’re procedural gaps, equipment issues, training needs, or communication problems. With that understanding, you can implement corrective actions—updates to procedures, additional training, equipment checks, or changes to supervision and risk controls—and then monitor their effectiveness. Sharing the lessons learned with the team helps prevent recurrence and strengthens overall safety culture.

Ignoring the event, piling on more work without addressing root causes, or restricting reporting to the client alone misses the opportunity to learn and improve, and can leave underlying hazards unaddressed. Documenting and reviewing is the foundation for turning incidents into safer practices.