ABSTRACT: Improvement of maritime safety has previously been based on a reactive regulatory approach, where regulatory improvements have been imposed to prevent recurrence of a specific type of accidental event or accidental scenario, after such an accidental event has happened. The ISM Code requires that hazardous situations are to be reported to the company, investigated and analyzed in order to prevent future happenings. Near-miss reporting is positively evaluated in this respect, because, near-misses are represented experiences and mistakes that should be shared to learn from in order to prevent the occurrence of accidents. The expression “that was too close” on ships’ bridges between the master and the officers is rarely transferred to a near miss report form, preserving the probability of reoccurrence. Near misses occurred and near misses reported might present a big difference in number. Officers easily forget the near miss situation when the safety of the ship is restored. Hazards identification will be based on documented management system (SMS- TMSA- ISO). The analysis of the documented safety and quality management will address the gap in order to improve the implemented systems. The objective of this research is to find out the best practices about near-miss reporting from the companies considered to have high level of commitment to safety within their organization. The study is based on interviews with a total of 35 seafarers who are joining on Greek ocean going vessels, and 4 representatives from safety departments of Greek maritime companies. The research also aims to address the seafarers’ perspective of reporting all near misses which have been experienced while they were in charge of specific duties (bridge watch, engine room watch) or any other operation (mooring, maintenance, drill) carried out on board. The majority of both the seafarers and the companies’ representatives believe that prior to the near miss reporting issue a safety culture environment on board is the real gain pursuit. In their perspective this is first priority to improve the general safety on board. It seems that near miss reporting is carried out on board as a compulsory compliance to the regulatory framework (ISM implementation). Further, it seems that the companies are not yet utilizing the reported data to improve feedback and the follow-up within the organization. The authors would like to thank companies’ representatives and seafarers who have participated in this study.

KEYWORDS: STCW Convention, Safety Culture, International Safety Management (ISM) Code, Near Misses, Near Misses on Board, Seafarers' Perception, ISM Implementation, Human Factor (HF)

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