Near Miss Reporting

The other day, I was talking with a colleague about our careers when he asked what I had done that made the greatest impact on an organization. My mind immediately went back to 2007, when I worked in corporate safety for an agribusiness company with about 2,500 employees. Our department reported to a group president who was always looking for ways to improve the company’s safety program. He was especially interested in near-miss reporting and asked me to develop and implement a companywide program. I understood what a near miss was, but I had no idea how to build the program. So, like many young safety professionals, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I read every article I could find on the topic and benchmarked several larger companies that had successfully implemented similar programs. Once I had gathered the information, it was time to put it into action.

The first step was to define “near miss.” A near miss is any unplanned event or condition that does not cause an incident but could have under slightly different circumstances. In other words, it is something that did not happen but had the potential to. At the time, we decided that “near miss” applied to more than injuries. It also included unsafe conditions, environmental spills and releases, property damage, fires, explosions and quality issues.

After defining “near miss,” we turned to the reporting process. We understood that each near miss offered an opportunity to improve our systems, communicate potential exposures and help employees better recognize workplace hazards and how those hazards could affect them. To support this, we developed an electronic reporting system that allowed employees to submit near misses anonymously. These programs often struggle when employees fear discipline, so a “no name, no blame” approach can help build trust. The focus should be on understanding the near miss itself, not on assigning fault to the people involved.

Once the reporting process was in place, we created a system for communicating near-miss incidents across the organization. Within our safety management system, we built a distribution process so that each submitted near miss was emailed to supervisors and managers. They would then review the report to determine whether it applied to their location. If it did, they discussed the near miss and any corrective actions with their employees. Sharing these events gives employees meaningful, practical information. They often respond by saying, “That could happen to me” or “That could happen here.” When employees see the value of the information being shared, they are more likely to participate in the process and report events themselves. This is when the program begins to gain traction. Sharing near misses across the organization provides significant value because what happens at one facility can certainly happen at another.

We also recognized the value of sharing near-miss reports with senior leaders, but we did not want to overwhelm them with every submission. To address this, we created a “high potential” near-miss category. A high potential near miss was one that could have resulted in a serious injury, fatality, inpatient hospitalization, significant spill or release, major property damage or another serious unwanted outcome. When a near miss was identified as high potential, it was sent electronically to senior leaders. The purpose was to help them understand the types of exposures present at their locations. While many senior leaders had strong operational experience, others did not.

Once the systems were in place, it was time to educate employees on the process. We knew we had one chance to launch an effective program, and without front-line employee buy-in, it would fail. At the time, we held in-person training sessions that covered the definition and types of near misses, the purpose and benefits of the program, barriers to success and reporting options.

After the training was completed, we went live. I still remember when the first near-miss report was entered into the system. I often describe what followed as the “snowball effect”: a small action that builds momentum and grows larger over time. In the first year alone, reports increased from single digits to more than 1,000. Consider the exposure we were able to uncover and address. As our CEO said, “Every near miss is a blessing.”

Nearly 20 years later, I still encourage organizations to establish near-miss reporting processes. If your organization is not actively reporting near misses, consider creating a formal program using the elements outlined in this article. A strong program can improve your safety culture by identifying and controlling exposures while helping protect employees. Every near miss is a blessing.

Joe Mlynek is president and safety and loss control consultant for Progressive Safety Services LLC, Gates Mills, OH; 216-403-9669; and subject matter expert for Safety Made Simple, LLC, Olathe, KS.