Near Miss Reporting
What is a Near Miss?
A Near Miss is an unplanned event
that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do
so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality
or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near.
A faulty process or management
system invariably is the root cause for the increased risk that leads to the
near miss and should be the focus of improvement. Other familiar terms for
these events are a “close call,” a “narrow escape,” or in the case of moving
objects, “near collision” or a “near hit.”
How Does Near Miss Reporting Prevent
Future Incidents?
Many safety activities are reactive
and not proactive, and some organizations wait for losses to occur before
taking steps to prevent a recurrence. Near miss incidents often precede loss
producing events but may be overlooked as there was no harm (no injury, damage
or loss).
An organization may not have a
reporting culture where employees are encouraged to report these close calls.
Thus, many opportunities to prevent the incidents are lost. History has shown
repeatedly that most loss producing events (incidents), both serious and
catastrophic, were preceded by warnings or near miss incidents. Recognizing and
reporting near miss incidents can significantly improve worker safety and
enhance an organization’s safety culture.
Key Points
• Incidents occur every day at the
workplace that could result in a serious injury or damage.
• A near-miss program may help
prevent future incidents.
• One problem that companies must
overcome is employee’s fear of being blamed after reporting a near miss.
• Employers need to make the process
of reporting a near miss as easy as possible.
