Accidents happen, it is part of the learning process. However, prevention is the key to avoiding many accidents. Part of prevention is reporting and learning from events that could have led to an accident. This is known as the Near Miss Incident Reporting process.
Humber defines a near miss as an occurrence that does not result in injury/illness or property damage, but which, under slightly different circumstances, could have resulted in harm to people, damage to property, or loss to process.
At Humber, all near miss incidents must be reported promptly, and should always be about collaboration to learn and prevent injury/property damage.
If you have a near miss,
- you should discuss it with your supervisor, and
- submit the Health & Safety Incident Report, identifying the incident as a near miss, to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
This way the college is made aware of potential hazards and OHS can work with employees and managers to strategize how to mitigate these risks. Reporting near misses is an important part of supporting a culture of safety.
This post is brought to you by Humber’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees (JOHSCs). For information about the JOHSC at your site, meeting dates, workplace inspection schedules, or the contact information of the committee members, visit our website.