Optimise Toolbox Near Miss Reporting

Toolbox Talk on Reporting Near Misses
What is a Near Miss?
Any event or situation that, whilst not immediately causing harm, has
the potential to adversely impact on health & safety or the environment
Please dont get hung up on the definition of a near miss if in doubt report the incident or situation to your
site management team or Line Manager so improvements can be made immediately to prevent a similar
incident.
Events or situations that constitute as near miss and should be reported include:
1 During lifting operations metal chains are slung on metal scaffold poles, during the actual lift
nothing falls, but slippage of the scaffold is observed
2 Temporary works that does not comply with the design and / or that could lead to collapse or
failure. With the potential for example of a person being injured by a flying object or loss of
concrete to a watercourse or the need for expensive rework.
3 A container of fuel or chemical is left in unsafe manner near to a water course or a road gully
providing a potential pollution incident.
4 An extension lead connected to a projector from a wall socket in not covered to prevent a trip
hazard.
Leaning back on chair Falls back but holds on Falls off chair and injures himself
Near Miss Near Miss Again! Accident (Injury)
Why Report Near Misses?

Learning from near misses Near misses are a warning that something is not working and
reduces the base and thus enables us to learn lessons before a serious incident occurs , maybe
reduces the chance of reaching involving you or a working colleague.
the serious accidents at the top
of the triangle
It helps management to find trends and faults within the system
and introduce effective control measures.
Major / disabling
Near miss reports give us the opportunity to work at the bottom
Lost Time of the triangle (see diagram on the left), which is always better as it
Minor Injury
does not involve injuries and gives us more information to identify
trends than those identified from accidents.
Unsafe Act/
condition
By reporting near misses and learning from them, everyone at
Optimise will benefit from working in a safer environment.
Toolbox Talk on Reporting Near Misses
How can a near miss be reported?
Tell your Site Agent / Supervisor/Line Manager immediately, this is the best way of reporting near
misses as it allows an unsafe way of working to be quickly stopped and put right and allows a proper
investigation into the root causes to be carried out.
Inform the person delivering your daily briefing or either your Safety Coach (where applicable) or your
Health & Safety or Environmental Advisor or even a Director
Fill Near Miss Report Card. Normally the cards can be found in canteens, receptions, offices or your
work vehicle. This card can be filled in anonymously giving details of any near misses to be reported or
any hazards that the Site Management need to be aware of. The card can be left in the box provided at
your work location or can be sent directly to Nick Gilbert (HSEQ Manager) Basement Building, Maple
Lodge STW, Denham Way, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 9SQ.
Please do report the issue directly to your supervisor where possible and then record the details on the
near miss card.
What Happens when I report a near miss?
When your near miss is reported it should be investigated on site or in the office to ascertain the root
cause (What is the problem? Why did it happen? What will be done to prevent it?) and to ensure that
adequate control measures are in place on site or in the office to prevent a reoccurrence. More serious
near misses (for example RIDDOR reportable dangerous occurrences) should be notified immediately to the
Health & Safety or Environmental Advisor supporting your working area to enable a more rigorous
investigation to take place.
The site or office management will at the end of the month report the number and type of near misses that
have been reported on site or in the office. This information is collated and a report produced for the
review by various parties within your working zone and across Optimise.
Therefore by reporting near misses Optimise will be able to reduce accidents by
1. Putting control measures in place locally and if needed across all Optimise activities to ensure that
individual near misses are not repeated.
2. By interpreting trends coming from our near miss reports we can look at Optimise performance on
issues and put in place control measures or introduce initiatives and campaigns to raise awareness
and reduce the likelihood of future trends.
Your near miss is an important learning opportunity not only for you individually but for your site/office and
the whole of Optimise. Remember no action will be taken against you for reporting near misses, in fact
Optimise management actively encourage near miss reporting.
You will also start to see feedback on trends posted on notice boards and individuals who raise reports
should be given individual feedback from their supervisors on the progress or outcome. This is obviously
dependant on whether the report was given anonymously or not
Conclusion
Optimise is totally committed to providing an accident & incident free working environment; however we
require your help to achieve this by reporting all near misses.
Remember if you dont report it, we can not learn from it!
Near Miss Reporting TBT August 2010 Page | 2

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Toolbox Talk on Reporting Near Misses

What is a Near Miss?

Near Miss Near Miss Again! Accident (Injury)

Why Report Near Misses?

How can a near miss be reported?

What Happens when I report a near miss?

Therefore by reporting near misses Optimise will be able to reduce accidents by

Near Miss Reporting TBT August 2010 Page | 2

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