Accident Prevention - What is a Near Miss in An Accident Investigation

A near miss designation may be something you more often hear in the field of aviation when discussing the proximity of two planes passing one another. A near miss can, however, also describe incidents in the environment, healthcare and occupational safety fields. Identifying near misses as sources of potential problems enables businesses to take proactive steps to prevent accidents before they occur. Studies of major accidents show that prior to the accident, there were low-impact or no-impact minor accidents and near miss occurrences that may have been overlooked.

Some large corporations involved in the environment, healthcare and public safety may form a Near Miss Management System as an offset of their risk management departments. The safety practices arising out of the standards set by the system directly reflect on the company's business performance through fewer accidents, which in turn, enables the company to lower its insurance rates.

How is a Near Miss Determined to Have occurred?

Definitions vary from company to company, but in the broadest sense, the Wharton School of Business has defined a near miss as:

"an opportunity to improve safety, health, environmental and security of an operation based on a condition or an incident with potential for more serious consequence."

Consequences could include employee injury, damage to property or environment and any business interruption. If you look at the disaster in the U.S. Gulf Coast, for example (which involved all of the mentioned types of consequences), several near misses led up to the accident, including the failure of the warning sirens to sound (because they had been disabled.)

How Can a Near Miss Be Identified Before an Accident?

The first step starts with people. A person, or persons, identifies and reports a potential problem area. Next the information is prioritized as to high- and low-level risk, and the information is then distributed to risk analysts. The cause must be identified next, as well as potential solutions. The next steps are dissemination of the solution information, and solution implementation. The last step, and perhaps one of the most important, is tracking of the resolution. If no tracking occurs, there is no way of knowing whether the problem has been solved, or if the solution has created potential new near miss issues. You can imagine, perhaps, a different outcome for Toyota owners if this system had been fully developed and implemented in the company's recent challenges with gas pedal malfunction.

The Importance of a Near Miss Management System

A near miss management system can also extend to security in the private sector as well as the public safety of the country. Several near misses were identified following the September 11th attacks on the United States. Several more led up to the anthrax scare. One benefit that came from the identification of these near-misses is that the public became more aware of events like these that occur around them every day. Due to this raised awareness, another attack in Times Square was recently averted.

Near misses in healthcare through the years have led to better safety standards in hospitals through closer monitoring of instruments and sponges in operating rooms, better testing of blood products before they are transfused, identification of possible infection risks and sources, and closer checks and balances with medication dispensing.

By having a near miss management system in place to identify potential areas of risk, companies save money and lives. A well-managed near miss system empowers employees, as well as customers to identify and solve potential risks before a large scale accident with potentially catastrophic consequences occurs.

All content on Accidents.com is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as legal or medical advice. Please seek advice from a professional on any related topics.

Tags:  Accident Prevention · Employee Safety · Safety and Prevention · Workplace Safety