Reporting System Follow Up

Near Miss Incident Reporting System Follow Up 

For the system to succeed, it is important to note that all the events reported cannot, and should not, be subject to a full near miss investigation process. This will bog the investigators down and prove too time consuming. 

Once the system has matured, the investigation can be extended to the high/ medium ranked near miss incidents and other reports that warrant investigation. Although theory dictates that all deviations should be investigated, in practice, this cannot happen and focus should be on the high risk situations reported. Admittedly some form of follow up and review of all events must occur, but not necessarily a full investigation. 

Many of the reported events already will have been rectified so no further action will be required until a trend is identified that may indicate the need for further investigation. A number of near miss incidents reported involving vehicles may be an indicator that the transport safety program needs review and steps need to be taken to improve drivers skills/habits, etc. 

High risk potential near miss incidents and other high risk situations, such as high risk practices and high risk work environments, should be investigated. The purpose of the investigation is to find the immediate and root causes and then eliminate the problem. Remember to fix the workplace and not the worker. 

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