22 Mar Near Miss Safety – Pay Attention to the Warning

Near Miss Safety – Pay Attention to the Warning

Near miss safety begins with recognizing that a near miss is an unplanned event that could have resulted in an injury, illness, property damage, or other loss—but did not. The difference between a near miss and a serious accident may be only a few inches, a few seconds, or simple luck.

Near misses should never be ignored or treated as a joke. They are warnings that a hazard, unsafe condition, or unsafe work practice exists and needs to be corrected.

Why Near Misses Matter

Many workplace incidents begin with the same basic factors:

• An unsafe condition exists.
• An unsafe action or behavior occurs.
• A worker is exposed to the hazard.

Sometimes the result is an injury. Other times, no one gets hurt. When an incident occurs without injury or damage but had the potential to cause harm, it is a near miss.

Examples include:

• A worker trips over an extension cord but does not fall.
• A tool falls from an elevated work area but misses employees below.
• A forklift nearly strikes a pedestrian.
• Material shifts during lifting but does not fall.
• A worker nearly contacts an energized electrical component.
• Equipment unexpectedly starts but no one is in the danger zone.

The absence of an injury does not mean the situation was safe.

Report Near Misses

All near misses should be promptly reported to your supervisor in accordance with company procedures.

When a near miss occurs:

• Stop and evaluate the situation.
• Report the near miss to your supervisor.
• Correct the immediate hazard when it is safe and within your authority to do so.
• Warn coworkers who may be exposed to the same hazard.
• Do not continue the task if an uncontrolled hazard remains.
• Participate in the investigation or review when requested.
• Share relevant information so similar incidents can be prevented.

If you witness a near miss involving another worker, report it even though you were not directly involved.

Take Corrective Action

Reporting is only the first step. The conditions or actions that contributed to the near miss should be identified and corrected.

Corrective actions may include:

• Repairing defective tools or equipment.
• Improving housekeeping.
• Installing guards, barriers, or other controls.
• Changing work procedures.
• Providing additional training.
• Improving communication or coordination.
• Using different tools or equipment.
• Correcting unsafe behaviors or practices.
• Conducting additional inspections.

The goal is to determine what allowed the event to occur and prevent it from happening again.

Learn From Near Misses

Near misses provide valuable information without the cost of an injury. Supervisors and employees should use them to identify weaknesses in work practices, equipment, training, or hazard controls.

When reviewing a near miss, ask:

• What happened?
• What could have happened?
• What conditions contributed to the event?
• Why did those conditions exist?
• Could the same hazard exist elsewhere?
• What needs to change to prevent recurrence?

The focus should be on preventing another incident, not assigning blame.

Remember

A near miss is a warning. Pay attention to it, report it, and correct the conditions that caused it. The next time the same event occurs, luck may not prevent an injury.