ISM Audit App for Ship and Company Safety Management Audits

Run ISM Code audits from any phone or tablet. InspectWrk plans the audit, walks the auditor through the Safety Management System on the vessel or ashore, records findings with photo and document evidence, and tracks corrective actions to verified closure, with audit reports and recurring-finding trends across the fleet. It works offline at sea and syncs when a signal returns.

ISM Code audit workflowFindings and corrective actionsOffline evidence captureShip and shore-side audits
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ISM Audit App mobile inspection app showing offline forms and photo evidence

What is ISM Audit App?

ISM Audit App is a maritime audit app for running ISM Code audits of the Safety Management System, not a generic vessel checklist. As an ISM Code audit app the auditor plans the audit, selects the vessel, company, or SMS area, and conducts the audit on mobile, reviewing documents and records and examining how the SMS works in practice. Each point is recorded as a conformity, observation, non-conformity, or major non-conformity, with photo and document evidence, inspection notes, and the vessel and location captured against it. As an ISM internal audit app and safety management audit app it keeps the whole audit in one record instead of a paper report and a spreadsheet.

Every finding becomes a corrective action: the app sets a responsible person and a due date, tracks the action to verified closure, and closes the finding only with evidence. The audit report generates automatically, and recurring findings and trends are visible across vessels and the company, so the same non-conformity is not raised audit after audit. As a ship safety audit app and SMS audit app it audits both sides of the ISM Code: shipboard operations, crew procedures, emergency preparedness, maintenance, and reporting on the vessel; and the company SMS, DPA responsibilities, documentation, management review, and the internal audit programme ashore. Used as a vessel audit app and ISM audit mobile app across a fleet, it runs offline at sea and syncs when a signal returns. It helps you conduct and evidence internal audits; it does not by itself grant or guarantee ISM certification.

What an ISM Audit App Should Cover

A complete ISM audit app covers the full audit workflow: plan the audit, select the vessel, company, or SMS area, conduct the audit, record findings, capture evidence, assign corrective actions, verify closure, generate the audit report, and track recurring findings. For the ISM scope it should reach the functional requirements of the Code: the safety and environmental-protection policy; company responsibilities and authority; the Designated Person Ashore; the master's responsibility and authority; resources and personnel; shipboard operations; emergency preparedness; reporting of accidents and hazardous occurrences; non-conformities; maintenance of the ship and equipment; documentation; internal audits; and management reviews. It should support both shipboard and shore-side auditing and record findings as observations, non-conformities, or major non-conformities.

How to Use ISM Audit App

A scored audit only helps if every auditor scores the same way. Follow these steps to run an ISM audit:

  1. Plan the audit and select the vessel, company, or SMS area to be audited.
  2. Conduct the audit on a phone or tablet, reviewing documents and records and examining the SMS in practice.
  3. Record each finding as a conformity, observation, non-conformity, or major non-conformity, with photo and document evidence and inspection notes.
  4. Assign each finding as a corrective action to a responsible person with a due date.
  5. Verify the corrective action with evidence and close the finding; offline records sync automatically once back in signal.
  6. Generate the audit report and track recurring findings and trends across vessels and the company.

What an ISM Audit App Covers

An ISM audit app audits the Safety Management System against the functional requirements of the ISM Code, on the vessel and ashore. Each point is recorded as a conformity, observation, non-conformity, or major non-conformity with evidence, and any finding becomes a tracked corrective action. It supports internal audits and their records; it does not perform the statutory DOC and SMC verification, which the Administration or a recognised organisation carries out.

What Gets Checked

  • Safety and environmental-protection policy in use
  • Company responsibilities and authority, and the Designated Person Ashore (DPA)
  • Master's responsibility and authority
  • Resources and personnel, and shipboard operations procedures
  • Emergency preparedness and drills
  • Reporting of accidents and hazardous occurrences, and non-conformities
  • Maintenance of the ship and equipment, and documentation control
  • Internal audits and management reviews

Common Defects It Surfaces

  • SMS procedure not followed or not available on board
  • Emergency drill overdue or not recorded
  • Accident or hazardous occurrence not reported through the SMS
  • Maintenance of ship or equipment overdue or undocumented
  • Outdated or uncontrolled document in use
  • Non-conformity raised but no corrective action verified

Evidence Captured

  • Photos and documents or records against the finding
  • Inspection notes and the vessel and location captured
  • Corrective-action closure evidence with auditor sign-off

Templates align to ISM Code, SOLAS, company Safety Management System (SMS).

How ISM Audit App Scores an ISM Audit

Step 1
InspectWrk workflow step: Score Consistently

Score Consistently

Weighted criteria are built into the ISM audit template.

Step 2
InspectWrk workflow step: Evidence Every Finding

Evidence Every Finding

Auditors attach photo proof for each ISM non-conformance.

Step 3
InspectWrk workflow step: Compare and Act

Compare and Act

Scorecards rank sites and failed ISM criteria become corrective actions.

See the AI Behind ISM Audit App

Everything your field team records during ISM audit, from photos and voice notes to sign-off, InspectWrk turns into a finished report automatically. Faster, more accurate, and without the retyping.

Take a Photo. AI Fills the Form illustration

Take a Photo. AI Fills the Form

Your inspector takes a photo of any asset or defect. AI reads it and fills the inspection form automatically. No typing. No manual entry.

Speak. AI Writes It Down illustration

Speak. AI Writes It Down.

Inspectors speak their observations in any language. AI transcribes and fills the form in real time. Completely hands-free in the field.

Inspections Done. Report Ready illustration

Inspections Done. Report Ready.

The moment an inspection is submitted, a branded PDF, Excel, or CSV report generates automatically. No manual work. No waiting.

Connect Your Existing Tools illustration

Connect Your Existing Tools.

InspectWrk integrates with the tools your team already uses, including Zoho, Microsoft 365, and SAP. No double entry.

Live Dashboard. Every Site. Always On illustration

Live Dashboard. Every Site. Always On.

Your operations team sees completion rates, open issues, and compliance scores across all sites in real time. No chasing updates.

What ISM Teams Fix When Audits Are Scored the Same Way Everywhere

ISM work breaks down the moment evidence leaves the form. These are the problems ISM Audit App is built to remove, and what the team gets back when it does.

ISM Audit App: A non-conformity is written on a paper audit report and never closed before the next ISM audit

A non-conformity is written on a paper audit report and never closed before the next ISM audit

Problem

  • Findings with no responsible person or due date
  • No proof a corrective action actually worked
  • The same non-conformity raised audit after audit

Solution

  • Responsible person, due date, and classification on each action
  • Closure requires evidence of the fix
  • Open and overdue actions visible across the fleet
ISM Audit App: Auditors at sea cannot work where there is no connectivity, and re-key paper reports later

Auditors at sea cannot work where there is no connectivity, and re-key paper reports later

Problem

  • Connectivity stalls apps at sea and in port
  • Audit captured on paper, then re-keyed ashore
  • Reports written up days after the audit

Solution

  • Full offline capture for the whole audit
  • Automatic sync when back in signal
  • Report generated from the audit record
ISM Audit App: Across a fleet, the same SMS weakness recurs and the DPA cannot see the pattern before a DOC or SMC audit

Across a fleet, the same SMS weakness recurs and the DPA cannot see the pattern before a DOC or SMC audit

Problem

  • Per-vessel audits that cannot be compared
  • Recurring non-conformities invisible across the fleet
  • Scramble to prepare for DOC and SMC audits

Solution

  • Findings by vessel, SMS area, and classification
  • Recurring-finding flags and trends
  • Evidence ready for DOC and SMC audit preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ISM audit app?

An ISM audit app is a mobile app for planning, running, and documenting audits of a Safety Management System against the ISM Code. An internal auditor or DPA plans the audit, selects the vessel, company, or SMS area, and conducts it on a phone or tablet, recording each point as a conformity, observation, non-conformity, or major non-conformity with photo and document evidence. Findings become corrective actions with a responsible person and a due date, tracked to verified closure, and the audit report generates automatically. Recurring findings and trends surface across vessels and the company. It supports your internal ISM audits and their records; it does not perform or replace the statutory DOC and SMC verification carried out by the Administration or a recognised organisation.

What does the app cover from the ISM Code?

It covers the functional requirements of the ISM Code. That includes the safety and environmental-protection policy; company responsibilities and authority; the Designated Person Ashore; the master's responsibility and authority; resources and personnel; shipboard operations; and emergency preparedness. It also covers reporting of accidents and hazardous occurrences, non-conformities, maintenance of the ship and equipment, documentation, internal audits, and management reviews. Each point is recorded against the SMS requirement it relates to, with evidence and a classification. Because the audit follows the structure of the Code rather than a generic vessel checklist, an ISM Code audit app record shows exactly which parts of the Safety Management System conform and which need corrective action.

How does the ISM audit workflow work in the app?

The workflow runs end to end on mobile. First the auditor plans the audit and selects the vessel, company, or SMS area. Next they conduct the audit, reviewing documents and records and examining how the SMS works in practice, and record findings with photo and document evidence and inspection notes. Each finding is classified and raised as a corrective action with a responsible person and a due date, then verified with evidence and closed. Finally the audit report generates automatically and recurring findings and trends are reviewed across vessels and the company. Every step is captured in one record, so as an ISM internal audit app it leaves a complete, time-stamped trail of what was audited and what followed.

How does the app handle findings and corrective actions?

When the auditor records a finding, the app captures the SMS requirement it relates to, photo and document evidence, and an observation, then classifies it as an observation, non-conformity, or major non-conformity in line with ISM audit practice. It raises a corrective action with a responsible person and a due date, so it is assigned rather than left on a report. The DPA and superintendents see open and overdue actions across the fleet, and a finding cannot be closed without evidence that the corrective action worked. Because each action is linked to its audit, vessel, and SMS area, recurring non-conformities are easy to spot and feed improvement of the Safety Management System instead of being fixed and forgotten.

Can it audit both shipboard and shore-side, offline across the fleet?

Yes. The app audits both sides of the ISM Code. On board it covers vessel operations, crew procedures, emergency preparedness, maintenance, safety procedures, and reporting; ashore it covers the company SMS, DPA responsibilities, documentation, management review, the internal audit programme, and corrective-action follow-up. It runs fully offline at sea on iOS and Android, so auditors can record findings, evidence, and sign-off with no signal, and everything syncs once the vessel is back online. Results roll into one view showing vessel-level and company-level audit history, open findings, overdue corrective actions, recurring findings, and audit completion, so the DPA has fleet-wide visibility as a shipboard audit app and a shore-side audit tool together.

Does the app replace statutory ISM certification audits (DOC and SMC)?

No. Statutory ISM verification, the Document of Compliance (DOC) for the company and the Safety Management Certificate (SMC) for the ship, is carried out by the flag Administration or a recognised organisation acting on its behalf. No app performs or grants that certification. What this app does is help you plan, run, document, and follow up your own internal ISM audits, and keep the findings, corrective actions, evidence, and trends that show your Safety Management System is working. That makes external DOC and SMC verification audits easier to prepare for, but the certification decision rests with the Administration or recognised organisation, not with the software.

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