Treat Near Misses as Free Data
Convert a near miss into a learning signal without blame.
Treat Near Misses as Free Data A near miss is valuable because it shows a pathway to harm without the cost of an injury. OSHA recommends investigating injuries, illnesses, incidents, and close calls to find underlying hazards, causes, and program shortcomings. The professional move is to treat the event as system information: what conditions lined up, what control failed or was absent, and what would make recurrence less likely. The mechanism is trend detection. One close call can look like carelessness; three in the same location point to layout, traffic flow, lighting, workload, or supervision. Reporting must be psychologically safe…
Sign up free — one personalized lesson every day, matched to your role and goals.
Already have an account? Sign in