What is a near miss?
A near miss is a negative work-related event that could have resulted in injury to health or damage to property. A near miss is an indicator of a potentially serious problem. It is possible that something is being used in the wrong way, that the workflow or technology is set up incorrectly. For example, a near miss can occur:
- improper workplace equipment
- improperly used or inappropriate technology
- insufficient or incorrect training
- by not following the work procedure
- failure of equipment or workplace equipment
A near miss is not regulated in detail by any legal regulation or standard. They can be caused by accident or caused by a system defect. In such a case, the organization should propose measures that should prevent further repetition.
Examples of near misses
- Slip or trip without injury
- Device failure
- Catching the loose clothing of the machine worker, without injury to the worker
- Dropping the device from a shelf or rack
- A collision between two forklifts without damage or injury
How to report a near miss
Employees can report near misses electronically using a form from the employee help desk. A simple leave request form is used by employees to report an early accident. Both the employee and the manager see all their reported near misses, who subsequently accept and resolve them.
Processing of near miss reports
Reporting of near misses takes place according to the workflow as you set it up. The report is automatically directed to the responsible person.
- The report of a near miss is brought to the attention of either the applicant's direct superior or the centrally responsible person (safety manager, IT manager)
- The responsible person initiates the solution and investigation of the entire causes and consequences of the near miss according to internal company regulations
- Any employee can report a near miss
- Setting measures to prevent the causes of near misses
Reporting near misses only makes sense if the company continues to work with them, i.e. investigates their causes and looks for measures to prevent such a situation next time.
Advantages of reporting near misses
Reporting near misses has a number of benefits for the organization
- Early identification of potential workplace hazards that can prevent future accidents
- Improving workplace safety
- Prevention of fines in the field of occupational safety (OSHA, OSH)