someone walking up snowy and icy concrete stairs

3 Ways near-miss reporting can improve safety

Author: BLR

Every day, workers narrowly avoid accidents that could have resulted in serious injury, such as:

  • Running up an icy flight of stairs
  • Tripping and catching onto something to break a fall
  • Jumping out of the way of an oncoming vehicle just in time

These near-miss incidents serve as a warning to companies that procedures must be reconsidered to avoid serious injury or death. According to the National Safety Council, major incidents typically are preceded by near misses, meaning they could’ve been avoided had the near miss been reported. However, employers will only know that these situations have occurred if they’re reported accurately. In fact, a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that near-miss reporting can reduce accidents by up to 50%.

Below are three ways near-miss reporting can help improve safety procedures.

1. It promotes a culture of safety.

Companies may not have incorporated a policy to report incidents when they didn’t result in injury or death. Most safety protocols are reactive, not proactive, so precautionary steps are not taken until an issue forces a company to do so. Near-miss incidents are often overlooked because there was no harm to the employee or damage to equipment or buildings. This is a lost opportunity to prevent future hazards, leaving workers at risk.

Leadership can easily bring safety into the culture of the organization by establishing a reporting system that’s nonpunitive and can be anonymous. Training all employees on the importance and procedure of near-miss reporting can help establish this part of safety into company policy.

Sending out company memos or holding company meetings when an incident has occurred to discuss the issue and offer ways to stay safe will openly promote this type of reporting.

2. It indicates performance efficiency.

An incident often indicates whether a system is efficient. This is the time for employers to review their processes and make changes to prevent future hazards. A near-miss incident should be investigated to determine how it happened, what caused it to happen, and how it can be prevented in the future. Any weaknesses in the system should be identified and corrective action taken to eliminate hazards.

Employees should know to look out for damaged equipment, including fractured hand tools and ladders with broken rungs, and damaged property, such as loose handrails or holes in the floor. Encourage all employees to report near-miss incidents by recognizing efforts to improve workplace safety.

3. It will establish security and encourage a safe environment.

Assuring employees they won’t be punished for reporting near-miss incidents goes hand in hand with encouraging them to report the incidents. Let them know they won’t be in trouble but should look at it as a learning experience. Employees will be less likely to report incidents if there are negative consequences or if they feel their jobs are at stake.

When a company puts incident reporting in a positive light as a precaution for others’ safety and the potential for blame is removed, employees will be more willing to report and discuss incidents. Make it easier for your employees by offering the support of managers and supervisors so employees feel comfortable talking to them about what happened.

The best thing about a near-miss incident is that no one was hurt and nothing was damaged. It’s important to emphasize that reporting near-miss incidents improves safety culture, strengthens the efficiency of your company’s procedures, and makes employees feel comfortable with reporting incidents.