A near miss in the workplace is a warning or an indication that something is wrong. Perhaps a machine isn’t operating correctly, or materials aren’t stacked properly, or someone has acted in an unsafe way. Close calls or near misses on the job should also be converted into safety precautions. Let’s consider some typical accidents that could have been avoided if the close-call warning had been heeded.
- A shop worker tripped over a two-by-four and fractured an ankle.
- A secretary slipped on some trash and grabbed a metal file cabinet in an attempt to break the fall, pulling the cabinet over on top of her.
It’s fairly certain that the proper handling of earlier near accidents could have prevented the real thing from happening in these cases. The two-by-four, loose tile and trash on the floor had probably caused other employees to step aside to avoid tripping or may even have caused stumbles that didn’t result in injury.
And how many near misses were there involving some kind of powered industrial truck and a machine?
Chances are, there were several, yet in all of these cases and doubtless in many others no one heeded the warnings. Nothing was done to correct the situations, and accidents resulted.
Making Our Own Luck
We can’t go through life depending on luck to keep us healthy. We have to make our own luck, as the saying goes – by acting in a safe manner and taking proper precautions. An actual accident isn’t hard to remember. We may still have the pains or scars to remind us. Someone burned as a child doesn’t need a slap on the wrist to promote caution thereafter. But as we’ve noted, a near miss is often forgotten, with no benefits resulting from the experience. How can we turn a close call into a contribution to safety? First, recognize it as a warning. Next, correct the situation or remove the hazard that caused the near miss. If it can be handled routinely, do so, but in any case report it to your supervisor. This lets him or her plan how to keep the same situation or hazard from arising at some other time or place.
Constant safety awareness on everyone’s part is the most important factor in accident prevention. It’s what makes us recognize a close call as a warning. So what do we do when a stack of boxes tips over, the handle on a tool snaps, or a ladder slips and, fortunately, no one is hurt? After taking a moment to feel thankful, we take action to prevent what could be a harmful accident next time. The action must involve investigating and analysing the situation, sharing the lessons and implementing preventative measures. If we ignore near misses then we establish a system of time “bombs” and it is just a matter of time before they “detonate”.
“You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning in your own” Eleanor Doan
