officer  reports  the  findings  of  the  near-mishap investigation  on  an  Internal  Mishap/Near  Mishap Investigation  Report  (fig.  3-5).  If  you  ignore  the conditions that cause near-mishaps, you are sure to invite a real mishap. Injury  Reports Injury reports and trends in minor injuries can identify  hazards  and  problem  areas.  Trends  may  reveal a lack of training, poor enforcement of PPE use, or an incorrect  operating  procedure. Reports of injuries are treated as follows: Afloat,   the   medical   department   treating   a crewmember completes an injury report and forwards it to the safety officer for investigation. Ashore,  the  OSH  office  or  command  keeps  a  log of  Navy  injuries  and  occupational  illnesses  (civilian  and military  ashore).  It  also  submits  a  quarterly  report  of Navy and civilian occupational injuries and illnesses, as well as an annual report. Shore activities also maintain records of all Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) claims. These claims can also alert a safety manager to local mishaps and  hazard  trends. HAZARD ABATEMENT Once we have identified and reported a hazard, the next step is corrective action. How do we get it fixed? Some  remedies  are  simple.  If  someone  is  not  wearing goggles, you provide a pair of goggles. Some corrective actions may be extensive and expensive. Renovation of a ventilation system to remove acid mist may take years. We can take temporary measures to protect workers, but we must take permanent measures to decrease the hazard. One of the first steps in a hazard abatement program is to prioritize the hazards. That requires assessing the hazard and assigning some type of quantifier. Each identified hazard that cannot be corrected immediately is assigned a risk assessment code (RAC). The RAC represents  the  degree  of  risk  associated  with  the deficiency  based  on  the  combined  elements  of  hazard severity and mishap probability. You derive the RAC as  explained  in  the  following  paragraphs. HAZARD SEVERITY The hazard severity is an assessment of the worst potential consequence that is likely to occur as a result of a deficiency. The most unfavorable degree of injury, occupational illness, or property damage defines the “worst  potential  consequence.”  The  OSH  office  or safety officer assigns roman numerals to hazard severity categories using the following criteria: Category  I–  Catastrophic:   The  hazard  may cause death or loss of a facility. Category II– Critical:  May cause severe injury, severe occupational illness, or minor property damage. Category  III–  Marginal:   May  cause  minor injury,  minor  occupational  illness,  or  minor property   damage. Category IV–  Negligible:  Probably would not affect   personnel   safety   or   health,   but   is nevertheless in violation of a NAVOSH standard. MISHAP  PROBABILITY The  mishap  probability  is  the  likelihood  that  a hazard will result in a mishap. The mishap probability is based on the assessment of such factors as location, cycles  or  hours  of  operation,  and  affected  population. The OSH office or safety officer assigns an arabic letter to  the  mishap  probabilities  according  to  the  following criteria: RISK Subcategory  A:  Likely  to  occur  immediately  or within a short period of time. Subcategory B: Probably will occur in time. Subcategory C: May occur in time. Subcategory D: Unlikely to occur. ASSESSMENT CODE The  risk  assessment  code  (RAC)  is  an  expression  of risk that combines the elements of hazard severity and 3-13