An integral part of a functioning Health and Safety Management system is ensuring you have a good reporting culture with reporting that extends beyond incidents and includes near miss events and workplace hazards.

An incident that ‘almost’ happens is defined as a near miss. This could be something like someone tripping and almost falling down the stairs but managing to grab the handrail and steady themselves in time to avert an accident and injury.  Often it is good luck and not good management that an incident is averted.

Hazards are in all workplaces (obviously some more than others). Hazards can go un-noticed or be normalised in the workplace unless there is a purposeful and disciplined approach to reporting. For example scheduled checks, annual survey, hazard hunt, team meeting reporting or when there has been some change in the workplace.
Near misses and hazards should be regarded as early warning signs and be the impetus for action to be taken to prevent injury or damage in future.

For further information on leadership in workplace Health and Safety management, contact Intesafety.
We would love to work with you to assist you to develop workplace safety leaders.