Reporting Near-Miss Incidents

Reporting Near-Miss Incidents

What’s a near-miss incident?

It’s an incident that could easily have been an accident. For example, an employee trips over a curled mat, but doesn’t fall down. An employee almost hits his/her head on a shelf. An employee almost slips down the stairs or trips over a cord on the floor.

Why is near-miss reporting important?

Statistics show that correcting the cause of near-miss incidents can prevent injuries. Looking at the attached pyramid, we can see that if the hazards that caused the near-miss incidents are not corrected, 30 minor injuries are likely to occur. If the hazards that caused the minor injuries are not corrected, 10 major injuries are likely to occur. If the hazards that caused the major injuries are not corrected, one fatality is likely to occur.

What should the employee do?

Whenever possible, the employee should correct the hazard immediately to prevent injuries. The report should be completed and given to the appropriate person (each organization must decide who should do the follow up).

What should management do?

When an employee reports a near-miss incident, the incident should be investigated to identify the root causes. The causes should be corrected before someone does get hurt.

The entire facility should be evaluated to identify whether or not this same hazard exists in other areas. If so, corrective action should be taken in those areas as well.

How can you encourage your employees to report near-miss incidents?

Let them know why you want to know about near-miss incidents – to prevent injuries. Encourage them to correct the hazard immediately. Provide a form (attached) for them to report these incidents. Be sure to get their input on root causes and corrective action. Provide positive feedback when they correct hazards and report incidents. Provide feedback to all employees about the hazard identified and corrective action taken. Apply corrective action to other areas of the organization.

Won’t this take a lot of time?

Responding to near-miss incidents will take much less time and cost much less money than having an employee injured. Remember, no one has been injured, so there is no lost time, no medical treatment, no papers to file with the insurance company, no follow up appointments, communications, etc. And, involving the employees will heighten awareness of safety hazards within your organization.