Most people have experienced a close call where they narrowly avoided injury or disaster. For employees, these moments can happen while driving for work, during a slip or fall on a construction site, or due to a distraction in high-risk fields.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calls these moments "near misses." They are defined as “a potential hazard or incident in which no property was damaged, and no personal injury was sustained, but where given a light shift in time or position, damage or injury easily could have occurred.”
OSHA cares about near misses – as employers should – because it points to an accident that is waiting to happen. Research indicates that for every serious injury or fatality, there are about 300 near misses. By recognizing and examining these close calls, employers have a better chance of catching and addressing safety issues before they lead to harm.
Here are five steps for effective near miss reporting:
1 Encourage reporting.
Create a culture where employees feel comfortable reporting near misses without fear of retaliation. Provide clear guidelines on how and to whom to report these incidents. Take all reports seriously.
2 Investigate thoroughly.
When a near miss is reported, conduct a full investigation to understand the root causes. Look beyond the immediate conditions to identify any underlying issues.
3 Analyze trends.
Track all reported near misses and look for patterns or trends that may indicate larger problems. Use the data to identify areas needing improvement.
4 Take corrective action.
Once the root causes are identified, promptly address the issues to prevent similar near misses in the future. This may involve updating safety procedures, providing additional training, or making equipment changes.
5 Share lessons learned.
Use near misses as learning opportunities by sharing investigation findings with all employees. Discuss the causes, corrective actions, and how to avoid similar incidents going forward. This can help raise safety awareness across the organization.
While OSHA does not require recordkeeping for near misses, the agency strongly encourages the practice as a way to help employers prioritize hazard analysis and improve overall safety. Creating a clear plan for addressing near misses is an important step in this direction.
For more information, check out OSHA's sample near-miss incident report, contact a DWC safety training specialist at SafetyTraining@tdi.texas.gov, or call 800-252-7031, option 2.