{"id":2362,"date":"2023-01-04T09:54:15","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T15:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/?post_type=insight&p=2362"},"modified":"2023-06-13T14:46:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T19:46:18","slug":"reporting-near-misses-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/reporting-near-misses-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Reporting Near Misses in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Property & Casualty<\/p>\n

\n Reporting Near Misses in the Workplace\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″]\n
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\n Reporting Near Misses in the Workplace\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>[vc_column_text]For every ten severe injuries and one fatality, there are 600 near misses \u2013 things that almost went wrong but didn\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strongly recommend reporting and investigating these \u201cnear miss incidents,\u201d though many companies fail to do so. Whether you didn\u2019t realize the need for reporting or don\u2019t know where to start, looking at how others successfully implement near-miss reporting procedures can provide helpful insights on how to begin your program. This white paper will discuss how organizations can manage near-miss programs, including challenges and effective strategies.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Near-miss reporting begins with safety systems in place and a culture of proactive disclosure of safety concerns. When an organization manages its injury experience and OSHA recordable incidents and is ready to add leading indicators to its data tracking and trending, the natural progression is to introduce near-miss reporting. Most safety professionals agree that a facility or site audit would uncover at least one near-miss condition or scenario during the workday. Translating that to the workforce is where the challenge lies, as many personnel needs help understanding how their organization defines a near miss.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It Starts with Culture<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

When a company and its employees understand the value of safety and are proactive about maintaining a safe workplace, near-miss reporting can become routine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A program\u2019s branding and terminology can vary from organization to organization, but no matter how you present it, it should reflect your company culture. Using terms like \u201cgood catch\u201d can encourage employee reporting of near misses by focusing on the positive. However, your employees must understand what a \u201cgood catch\u201d means.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Train Your Employees<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Educate your personnel on how to recognize wh<\/span>ich<\/span> incidents to report. Near misses can seem like an abstract concept, which can lead to a breakdown in communication. To you, a potentially dangerous situation is a near miss. To the employee, <\/span>it may<\/span> be<\/span> just part of the job.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

75% of all accidents are preceded by one or more near <\/span><\/strong>misses.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Help personnel understand what you expect of them by providing examples of events that constitute a near miss. Almost every day, employees see several categories of near-miss situations, such as improper equipment use and task hazards. Provide detailed descriptions of each scenario and clear examples outlining the incidents to report. Ultimately, reporting is about making everyone safer, a point which should be emphasized in all near-miss communications.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get Organized<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Once you have developed the definition of near misses and communicated those definitions to employees, the next step is to gather information. The good, old-fashioned safety suggestion box can be a great way of collecting near-miss reports anonymously. Other suggestions include mobile apps, intranet and internal technology for near-miss reporting and safety suggestions. Management and supervisors should have an open-door policy when it comes to safety. Workers should be able to report near misses to their direct supervisor without fear of repercussion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Collect near-miss information the same way you would an incident in which an injury or property damage occurred.<\/span> The information can be helpful whether a near miss happened three days or three years ago. Everyone can learn more about safety when near misses are investigated and adequately understood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take Action<\/h3>\n

The final and most critical step is to <\/span>take action<\/span> with your <\/span>near-miss<\/span> information. Treat a near miss like an incident to help identify root causes and corrective actions. If near misses are submitted anonymously, there may be some challenges in gathering details and investigating. However, it is still possible to better understand the situation \u2013 even if it means simple data collection. No matter how you address it, an organized system that reviews information is only effective when you <\/span>take action<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strategies for collecting near-miss information:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n