A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage — but had the potential to. Reporting them is one of the cheapest ways to prevent the accident that would otherwise follow.
Examples
- A tool falls from height and lands where someone was standing a moment earlier
- A forklift reverses without checking and a pedestrian steps back in time
- A chemical container is found unlabelled in a shared store
Why people don’t report them
Usually because it takes too long, they fear blame, or nothing visibly happens afterwards. A mobile form that takes under a minute, a no-blame policy and visible follow-up fix all three.
| Barrier | Fix |
|---|---|
| Takes too long | One-minute mobile form with photo upload |
| Fear of blame | Published no-blame policy, anonymous option |
| Nothing happens | Actions assigned and closed visibly |