Near miss reporting can save lives

Imagine the following: You're running out of time for a meeting and are rushing around a corner. The glass cupboard door on the wall cabinet around the corner is open and you narrowly avoid getting the sharp edge of the corner in your forehead. You might think "lucky!" and rush on, not realizing that this is an incident that could have resulted in a personal injury.

The Internal Control Regulations set requirements for systematic work on health, safety and the environment. According to section 5, all businesses are required to identify hazards and problems. This must form the basis for assessing risk and preparing associated plans and measures to reduce risk conditions. This work must also be documented in writing.

In the example above with the glass door. If you rush on instead of reporting the near-miss, the organization cannot learn and no action is taken. As a result, the incident may happen again, and the outcome may next time be an actual accident.

Other examples of near misses include equipment that blocks fire extinguishers. Non-compliant sockets that increase the risk of fire. Layers of ice outside where there is no litter that can lead to falls. Blocked emergency exits that prevent evacuation.

Near misses are important reports

Documenting incidents or near misses should not be a theoretical exercise. A common misconception is that it is desirable to have as few reported near misses as possible. The reality is that near misses have no negative consequences and are a great learning opportunity. Reported near misses are important for the business

If you put effort into identifying what could have gone wrong, you reduce what actually does go wrong. It costs a lot less to deal with injuries after an unwanted incident or accident than it does to prevent them.

Culture for reporting near misses

Many people find it unnatural to report everything that could have gone wrong. In order to create a good culture around reporting and to be able to document this important work, it is important to have a good reporting tool.

• It must be easy to report
• Case management must be carried out efficiently
• Cause analyses that provide learning and concrete measures prevent future accidents
• Reports must be extractable in order to measure impact

Accessible and user-friendly deviation system

Giving all employees access to simple reporting with a app directly on their mobile lowers the threshold for reporting. At the same time, it is important that employees see that their reports are actually processed and that measures are implemented in the non-conformity system.
This in turn means that case officers must be able to work systematically to assess severity and implement measures.

How are the reports received?

Some of the work also lies in the culture of the business. There should be a prevailing attitude from management that it is okay to make mistakes. A culture that celebrates learning contributes to a safe workplace and saves the company money.

Written by senior advisor Karin Gjerde-Meyer.