Near Miss Reporting

Our company has launched an initiative we have called "Zero Defects", which is aimed at decreasing the number of defects that occur within our organization. Among the top defects that we would like to decrease are several safety related incidents, such as vehicle accidents, injuries, spills, and fuel cross-drops.

In the past, companies have focused their attention on improving unsafe work conditions, and not necessarily focusing on eliminating unsafe work activities. In recent years, researchers have discovered that 90% of industrial accidents have been related to work activities versus only 10% that were related to the actual work conditions.

The key take away from this research is that as a company we need to analyze those work activities which are unsafe. To help us identify unsafe work activities before they cause a safety incident, we are introducing a new safety related initiative - Near Miss Reporting.

This safety initiative is based on the premise that the person who regularly performs a task is best suited to identify potential safety hazards. Think about a simple task like driving to work. I bet some of you were almost in an accident just driving to work today? These were near misses. Now think about some of the more complicated tasks that take place within our company. Tasks like driving a fuel truck, filling a propane bottle, or operating a forklift. With these tasks the probability of an incident occurring increases dramatically.

By now many of you have been introduced to our Near Miss Report. You know what it looks like and what information is contained in it. The question on your mind might be, "Why is it so important to report a near miss accident?" Nothing happened, no damage was done, and no one was hurt. Maybe you have concerns that if you turn in a Near Miss Report, you will open yourself up for a reprimand or even worse, termination.

Let me reassure you that the purpose of the Near Miss Report is not to reprimand or terminate anyone. In fact, if any team member has concerns about turning in a Near Miss Report to their manager, I would encourage them to turn the form in anonymously.

Why are we taking this so serious? Studies have shown that for every 600 near misses that take place within a company, there are at least 90 actual incidents involving equipment or property damage, 10 minor injuries involving lost work time, and sadly at least 1 major injury or death.

The information you report in the Near Miss Report will be analyzed by your manager and the company's Safety Committee. This analysis will help us identify unsafe activities and work conditions, so that potential accidents can be prevented.

Working together we can make our company safer for everyone.

Working together we can create a defect free environment.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. tony@repowell.net

Tony Christensen
www.repowell.net