Near Miss Best Practices

Key Questions

The following key questions are answered in this module:

What are some alternative terms commonly used as to describe near misses?
Near misses are sometimes called "close calls," "near hits," "narrow escapes," and "near collisions." Many safety professionals prefer the term "near hit" because it is less dismissive of a potentially dangerous situation than "near miss."

What is a root cause?
A root cause is the underlying reason or reasons why an unsafe condition exists, or why a procedure or rule was not followed. The cause of a person falling down might be a wet, slippery floor, but the root cause of the fall would the leaky pipe that created the slippery floor.

If no damage is done in a near miss incident, why is it important to track and investigate them?
It is well established that multiple near misses precede actual accidents. By identifying work flow and safety problems at the near miss stage, situations which might cause real physical injury and damage can be detected and avoided, leading to a safer workplace.

What is one way to increase worker participation in filling out near miss incident reports?
It is important not to discipline or hold responsible someone who reports a near miss incident.

Which type of employee is the most important in implementing a near miss best practices program?
All levels of employees need to be involved in a successful near miss management program. Frontline workers are needed to identify and report incidents, management must provide the necessary resources and time for the program, and supervisors need to coordinate incoming reports and implementation of changes to improve workplace safety.

Sample Video Transcript

Below is a transcript of the video sample provided for this module:

Additional Resources

Use the additional resources and links below to learn more about this topic:

• OSHA - Incident Investigation

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