Near Miss- The One That Almost Happened

A “Near Miss” is an event that could have caused serious injury or illness—but didn’t. 

Example: A forklift operator drives too fast and drops the load, almost hitting another worker.

How to react in the event of a “Near Miss”

• Acknowledge the near miss and how the situation could have ended much worse.
• Alert fellow workers of the near miss so that everyone can be aware to prevent accidents.
• Talk to your supervisor about what can be done to inform and solve the cause of the near miss so that the workplace can be safer.
• Understand that reporting a near miss will not get you in trouble since it is better to report a near miss before an accident actually happens someone gets hurt.