The Risk of Near Misses in the Workplace
For every accident that occurs in the workplace, there are just as many, if not more, close calls. Maybe a co-worker was pulled aside just in time to avoid burns from a piece of industrial equipment. Or a forklift tipped over in the middle of a job and the worker using it was able to walk away unscathed. Situations like these are commonplace at just about every business and are referred to as near misses.
Near misses refer to any unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or property damage but had the potential to do so. While organizations strive to avoid any kind of workplace accidents, near misses can provide invaluable insight into known and unknown safety hazards. This, in turn, allows organizations to be proactive when it comes to monitoring and responding to on-the-job risks.
Warning Signs
If you notice a warning light on the dashboard of your vehicle, you know immediately not to ignore it. Unfortunately, unsafe actions on the job aren’t always as easily detected.
Below are some typical accidents that could have been avoided if their “warnings” had not been ignored.
- A shop employee stumbles over a two-by-four lying on the ground, fracturing an ankle
- An office worker slips on spilled water and grabs a metal file cabinet, which falls on him/her
- A machine operator is injured when a hi-lo strikes the machine being operated
The proper handling of near accidents could have prevented the real thing from happening in the cases mentioned above. However, in all of these cases, nothing was done to correct the situation, resulting in an accident.
Keep Safety in Mind
How can you turn a close call into a contribution to safety? Below are two ways that you may already be using.
- Be safety-minded; allow employees to voice their concern over near-accidents.
- Correct any dangerous situation and remove the hazard that caused the near-accident.
Near-Miss Reporting Program
Implementing a near-miss reporting program can help open conversations with your employees. To ensure you get your near-miss reporting program off the ground successfully, consider the following best practices:
- Encourage reporting in the workplace. This can help establish a culture where employees feel comfortable identifying and controlling hazards.
- Ensure your system is nonpunitive. Employees should not be punished for improving workplace safety.
- Take near-miss incidents seriously and investigate them thoroughly to identify weaknesses in your policies and procedures.
- Leverage investigation results to improve workplace safety, hazard control systems and employee training.
Establishing a reporting program for near misses is a simple way to elevate workplace safety. Not only do near-miss reporting programs protect your employees and save money, but they also promote a positive, safety-forward culture. Safety awareness is always important. It’s a case of preparing yourself mentally to act in a safe manner and to recognize a close call as a warning. So, when a stack of books tips over or the handle on a tool snaps, pay attention to the warning and do something about it.
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