Definition Near Miss - Definition of Near Miss (Hit) - OHSAS 18001

somashekar

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I have a question on near miss recording.
Can situations like noticing of wrong storage methods, blockage of emergency exits, persons leaning over staircase railings, etc., be taken as record of near miss for addressing suitable measures ? Would such records meet the definitation of a near miss...... :frust:
 

BradM

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Re: Near miss ...

I have a question on near miss recording.
Can situations like noticing of wrong storage methods, blockage of emergency exits, persons leaning over staircase railings, etc., be taken as record of near miss for addressing suitable measures ? Would such records meet the definition of a near miss...... :frust:


Interesting questions.... for some of us not intimately familiar with OSHA standards, is this a special classification for addressing something?
 

Sidney Vianna

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Re: Near miss ...

I have a question on near miss recording.
Can situations like noticing of wrong storage methods, blockage of emergency exits, persons leaning over staircase railings, etc., be taken as record of near miss for addressing suitable measures ? Would such records meet the definitation of a near miss...... :frust:
I believe you should use the word incident, rather than near-miss. That is the proper terminology in OHSAS 18001.
3.9 incident
[FONT=Arial,Arial]work-related event(s) in which an injury or [/FONT]ill health [FONT=Arial,Arial]([/FONT]3.8[FONT=Arial,Arial]) (regardless of severity) or fatality occurred, or could have occurred [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial]NOTE 1 An accident is an incident which has given rise to injury, ill health or fatality. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial]NOTE 2 An incident where no injury, ill health, or fatality occurs may also be referred to as a "near-miss", "near-hit", "close call" or "dangerous occurrence". [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial]NOTE 3 An emergency situation (see [/FONT]4.4.7[FONT=Arial,Arial]) is a particular type of incident. [/FONT]
And I believe the concept is like "preventive action" in ISO 9001. Actually, a much better way to present it and process it via the OHSMS.

And, in answer to your question, yes, they are applicable examples of incidents.​
 
P

Phil Fields

Re: Near miss ...

So is a "near miss" really a HIT?

Phil
 

SteelMaiden

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Re: Near miss ...

A near miss is an incident where someone or something narrowly missed injury/damage. A box falls off a shelf (incident), landing just a foot or two behind a person walking down the aisle (near miss).

In your example of the person leaning over the railing, it would be a near miss if the person slips, but doesn't actually fall. so it would probablly be an incident of an unsafe behaviour, but, at least here we wouldn't classify it as a near miss. :2cents:
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Re: Near miss ...

"Near miss" is one of the dumbest terms used in safety and in business and the use of it should be outlawed and any safety "professional" that uses it needs to have his tongue glued to his lips.:mad:

As previously stated a post or two above, a "near miss" is actually a hit........."Oops, oh well we nearly missed you" ...it can mean two different things

The term "near miss" creates a sense of comfort in the fact that nothing is really happening as long as we keep missing........"If we missed him, what's the big deal?".........It's a psycological thing.

Now if "near miss" is changed to "near hit" a whole new meaning and emphasis comes out......."We nearly hit a guy with a forklift".......There is no half-way or misunderstanding here........"WE NEARLY HIT.......!"

I have no probelm pointing this out in the classes I teach because there is more risk associated with nearly hitting folks than missing folks.
 

Sidney Vianna

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Re: Near miss ...

"Near miss" is one of the dumbest terms used in safety and in business and the use of it should be outlawed and any safety "professional" that uses it needs to have his tongue glued to his lips.:mad:
Come on, Randy. Near miss is not that bad...
MissUSA2007.jpg
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Re: Near Miss ... Definition of Near Miss (Hit)

Arkansas is near "Miss" as well:lol:
 
S

SteveK

I have a question on near miss recording.
Can situations like noticing of wrong storage methods, blockage of emergency exits, persons leaning over staircase railings, etc., be taken as record of near miss for addressing suitable measures ? Would such records meet the definitation of a near miss...... :frust:
Apart from the other interesting responses, also consider using the terms “unsafe act” or “unsafe condition” e.g. fire hazards, leaving equipment in a dangerous condition, bad loading of vehicles, not using safety devices, horseplay etc. As such a simple definition can be “deviations from required safe practice” – which might cover Sidney’s point!
 

SteelMaiden

Super Moderator
Trusted Information Resource
Re: Near miss ...

"Near miss" is one of the dumbest terms used in safety and in business and the use of it should be outlawed and any safety "professional" that uses it needs to have his tongue glued to his lips.:mad:

As previously stated a post or two above, a "near miss" is actually a hit........."Oops, oh well we nearly missed you" ...it can mean two different things

The term "near miss" creates a sense of comfort in the fact that nothing is really happening as long as we keep missing........"If we missed him, what's the big deal?".........It's a psycological thing.

Now if "near miss" is changed to "near hit" a whole new meaning and emphasis comes out......."We nearly hit a guy with a forklift".......There is no half-way or misunderstanding here........"WE NEARLY HIT.......!"

I have no probelm pointing this out in the classes I teach because there is more risk associated with nearly hitting folks than missing folks.

I think a lot depends on the culture of the company and how they look at what nearly missed means. If you use it to feel good that someone didn't get hurt, it is not going to add value. We investigate every near miss as though it was a "hit". There are some statistics floating around somewhere that say that for every X number of near misses, there will be 1 injury/damage incident, and for every X number of injuries/damage incidents there will be a fatality. Only by eliminating unsafe acts will we prevent near misses, and then injuries, and then deaths. So, tracking near misses is not a bad thing, it is what you do with the information and how your culture perceives them.:2cents:
 
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