Near Miss Reporting

Near Miss Reporting is identifying and preventing an unsafe act or unsafe condition before it causes an injury or illness.

When should I complete a Near Miss Report?

Examples of when a Near Miss report should be used:

  1. You observe an event that could have resulted in an injury or illness if a person had been present in a location where they might normally be present but just happened not to be at the time.
  2. An equipment failure occurs that might have resulted in an injury to an employee had they been utilizing the equipment at the time or been in the immediate vicinity of the equipment when it failed.
  3. You slipped but didn't fall, or in other words you didn't sustain an injury but the act you performed could have resulted in an injury but you "caught yourself this time."
  4. You recognize a practice you are conducting is missing a step such as failing to disinfect a cloth before wiping down a counter used for food preparation could lead to spreading illnesses.
  5. You walk into a closet and an object is knocked loose by the door from a shelf, falls and almost hits you in the head as it drops to the floor and breaks.

The Near Miss Form is a good way to formally document the recognition of a hazard, to document the change that is made to prevent a recurrence of the hazard and to share what you have learned with others.

For questions or concerns about Near Miss Reporting contact DEHS or call 831-8475.