A near miss in safety falls into the category of events that you should be aware of and act on to keep your employees, your workplace and yourself safe. Events like accidents, which may result in serious harm, are often at the forefront of an employer’s mind when it comes to safety management. It’s easy to see why most employers take these events so seriously and why they can lead to reviews and even the adjustment of a company’s health and safety policies.
But just because near misses don’t result in the same material harm, does not mean they aren’t an important factor in your organisation’s safety management approach. In this article, we’ll look at what a near miss in safety is, why your employees should always report them and how this can positively impact the overall health and safety of your workplace.
What is a near miss in safety?
A near miss in safety is an event in the workplace that could have caused someone harm but didn’t. Sometimes referred to as a ‘close call’, a near miss could potentially have been an accident but for some reason was stopped from escalating. A lot of the time, the reason is sheer luck. If the same situation were to happen again, unchecked, your employees may not be so lucky.
This luck and the fact that no one has been injured following a near miss can make some employers more relaxed about reporting them. What is there to report, exactly? With another incident or an accident, the damage caused is clear to see. Within an organisation that has a good safety culture, employers advocate for near miss reporting and employees proactively report them. They recognise a near miss could lead to a serious injury or damage if no corrective actions are implemented. They prioritise safety above anything whilst at work.
With a near miss, it can be harder to see the immediate impact. This is no reason not to take any action, however. An organisation with a robust, proactive health and safety culture will take a near miss as seriously as any other safety event. Particularly because they happen more often than you might expect.
Some examples of near misses in the workplace
The type of near misses you might encounter will vary depending on the industry your organisation is in, as well as the type of equipment your teams use and the location of your workplace. Regardless of where you work, however, you should always be alert to the kind of near misses that could happen.
Near misses in safety generally fall under one of the following categories: slips, trips and falls, working at height, use of machinery and equipment, chemical handling and storage, poor signage and communication, and risky behaviour. Some or all of these may be relevant to your workplace, so it’s good to understand what near misses in each of these categories can look like.
Slips, trips and falls
Slips, trips and falls are relatively self-explanatory but important to note. For example, if an employee trips over a cable that has been left trailing on the floor but catches themselves on a nearby table, that would be a near miss.
Working at height
Working at height poses many hazards which could become near miss incidents. An unsecured ladder that a colleague catches before it falls, or a brick accidentally dropped from scaffolding that avoids hitting anyone below, both qualify as near misses in safety.
Use of machinery and equipment
Even when your teams are trained and qualified to operate certain machinery and equipment, near misses can still occur. For example, if a team leader discovers a piece of machinery has an electrical fault while carrying out an inspection, this could be classed as a near miss; had the inspection not been carried out in time, someone could have been electrocuted. Use of emergency stop buttons and safety shut-off mechanisms are also classed as near miss incidents.
Chemical handling and storage
Gas leaks, chemical spills or incorrectly stored materials that are caught before anyone comes to harm are all examples of near misses involving chemicals. You might also encounter a handling near miss with chemicals. For example, if an employee is stopped from using the wrong protective equipment when dealing with a toxic or corrosive substance, that would be a near miss.
Poor signage and communication
Depending on the workplace, poor signage can vary from a missing wet floor sign on a recently-mopped floor to incorrect traffic signals in and around a construction site. Both temporary and long-term hazards, as well as changes to safety practices, should be signposted correctly and communicated to your teams to avoid near miss incidents.
Risky behaviour
Near misses in safety at work can also arise from workers’ behaviour. Jumping down from a vehicle instead of using the step, ‘horseplay’ around working machinery and ignoring signs of illness or fatigue that could impact your ability to work safely are all examples of risky behaviour that could lead to near misses.
Is an unsafe act the same as a near miss?
As well as near misses, you should also be aware of another kind of workplace event: an unsafe act. As we’ve established, a near miss is an action that could lead to injury or damage but ultimately does not. A near miss is also accidental; no one sets out to create a near miss situation. Even risky behaviour isn’t meant to cause harm, even if it seems like the employee has (temporarily) forgotten their safety responsibilities.
On the other hand, an unsafe act is behaviour that deliberately deviates from the standard safe practices of your workplace. An employee working at height on scaffolding without wearing the appropriate protective equipment (such as a helmet or a harness) would be an example of an unsafe act. A worker operating heavy machinery or driving a vehicle that they have not been trained to use is another example. Unsafe acts can potentially be illegal and should be reported immediately. Unsafe acts can be prevented through regular training, communication and a drive from senior management to promote safety as a number on priority in the workplace.
Why should near misses be reported and investigated?
When a near miss in safety happens, your immediate reaction will likely be relief. That was a close call but thank goodness no one was hurt! No one has been injured, nothing has been damaged and so you can carry on with your working day. Right? Not quite.
Legally, you don’t need to report a near miss in the workplace. Unlike injuries sustained while working, instances where an employee is incapacitated for more than 7 days, or certain occupational diseases, near misses do not fall into the category of reportable incidents under RIDDOR. That said, it is important to report near misses at work.
First and foremost, reporting and investigating near misses mitigates the risk of them happening again and causing real injury or damage. Incident reporting is a key part of health and safety management and this includes near misses. When a near miss is reported, steps should be taken to make changes and improvements to the equipment, environment or staff training related to the near miss. This should be done as quickly and proactively as you would with an accident or other incident.
When you consistently report near misses in safety as you would any other workplace incident, you can build up an overall picture of the health and safety performance across your organisation. Over time, you may be able to spot patterns in particular areas or teams and take preventative steps to manage these hazards, therefore avoiding future near misses or accidents.
Lastly, by reporting near misses, you demonstrate safety management ‘best practice’ to your team. Sometimes employees may be hesitant to report a near miss, for fear of being blamed or a reluctance to get involved in a complicated process. By ensuring that your reporting processes are accessible and easy to use and by demonstrating that action has been taken as a result of that near miss report, you can help engage your teams, ultimately helping to make their workplace safer.
How can you encourage near miss safety reporting?
Engaging your employees is an effective and impactful way to improve your workplace safety culture. When it comes to near miss reporting, ensuring that your teams feel confident to proactively identify and report a near miss is crucial.
You might emphasise the importance of near miss reporting through all-staff communications or specific training. While these are important steps, a simple and accessible reporting process can make all the difference when it comes to staff feeling able to make a report. This is where health and safety software, like Notify Technology’s incident management tools, can help streamline your organisation’s reporting process.
Through Notify’s native mobile app, employees can make a near miss report from anywhere. They can upload photos and share their GPS location, adding important context to their report. Managers and employers will be notified immediately and can assign corrective actions remotely, allowing your team to respond quickly and effectively.
With regular reporting, you can start to create a full picture of your workplace’s health and safety culture. By using features like Notify’s customisable safety intelligence dashboard, your team leaders can monitor the number of near misses and implement measures to keep your employees safe. With the ability to customise who can access your safety data and keep track of any changes being made, you can ensure that the right people have the right information, right at their fingertips.
To see how Notify’s digital tools can help you manage near misses and improve safety, compliance and productivity in your workplace, read our blog – 3 ways in which safety software can improve near miss reporting, or book your free demonstration today.
