Shutterstock/Rawpixel.comIncident reporting is a key component of dive safety. As a recreational diver, the more detailed and accurate you can be when contributing to a report, the more helpful it may be in preventing future incidents.
With many activities, firsthand experience is the best teacher. However, when it comes to diving accidents, lessons are best learned from others’ experiences rather than our own.
DAN analyzes dive accidents and near-miss incidents in a methodical way to share learning points with the public. But this is only possible when we nurture a just culture where sharing stories of past mistakes is met with respect and reflection rather than ridicule and blame.
A Just Culture
In high-stakes fields such as aviation, medicine or sports like scuba diving, each near-miss incident or negative outcome is analyzed with the goal of future improvement. However, because accidents in these fields can lead to serious injury and death, people may be understandably guarded in sharing their role in an incident.
A culture that focuses on assigning blame and punishment not only places destructive social pressure on the individuals involved (who may or may not actually be responsible), but can also prevent investigators from getting the full story. Without a complete picture, we lose key insights that could help prevent future incidents. The cost of a punitive culture is repetition of avoidable accidents.
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A just culture, by comparison, approaches incident analysis from an angle of fact-finding and root cause analysis rather than assigning blame. This approach puts the focus on obtaining useful knowledge that can be used to prevent similar accidents.
As a diver, you can promote a just culture when discussing accidents by focusing on actionable changes and learnings rather than drama and shame. In addition, being forthcoming with your own past mistakes sets an example for other divers to also be honest about their experiences, enriching the entire community.
Analyzing an Incident
Detailed accident analysis is a complex field that is best left to experts. But as a recreational diver, it’s helpful to have a general idea of how the process works, as your observations inform reports.
The process starts when a diver reports an incident they have either experienced or witnessed. This initial notification typically doesn’t contain enough data to create a full report, so the incident analysis team will collect more information via structured interviews or further investigation.
After obtaining sufficient details, the team reconstructs a timeline of events and identifies key factors contributing to the incident.
Greater attention is placed on systemic failures (i.e., incomplete safety protocols or patterns of failures in equipment) rather than individuals’ actions. This is because, while we would like to believe we are infallible, we are human and we make mistakes. It’s more helpful to figure out what structural changes can prevent a similar incident than how a person can act differently in an emergency.
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Communicating Lessons
Analysis alone isn’t enough to prevent future accidents. Communicating the information is just as important.
DAN engages divers by publishing incident analysis articles that give an expert’s breakdown of the event and provide actionable takeaways. The organization also offers courses in accident prevention for professionals and produces an annual report that aggregates years of accident data to understand broader trends.
DAN isn’t the only organization engaging in accident analysis and promoting a just culture. For those interested in a deeper exploration of human factors, Gareth Lock’s “The Human Diver” work offers a comprehensive discussion of relevant research. The book Close Calls by Stratis Kas is a collection of real-life accident stories and takeaways from some of the world’s most accomplished scuba divers.
While diving is an incredibly gratifying activity, accidents are always a lingering possibility. By learning from others’ mistakes and sharing your own, the dive community can strive to reduce their frequency.
If you’re interested in sharing your story, please consider submitting an incident reporting form at dan.org.
