They happen every day. They happen 300 times more frequently than incidents and they contain important information to prevent incidents. Yes, I am talking about near-misses. OSHA describes a near-miss as “an incident where no property was damaged and no personal injury sustained, but where given a slight shift in time or position, damage and/or injury could have occurred.” Basically, near-misses are any occurrence where the events did not result in injury but could have. This is why near-misses are often referred to as close-calls.

Near-Miss Reporting

Reporting and investigating incidents, injuries and any kind of damage is not only a vital step to managing safety, but for most organizations today it is required. Despite this, many organizations have yet to expand their reporting processes to include near-misses. This is a serious mistake. After all, near-misses are the precursor to the main event. By failing to report, analyze and understand … Read more...