Learn From Near Misses 9/21/2026
Safety E-Quick Tip
OWYN Safety Management Platform
Learn From Near Misses
Quick Note Before We Begin
Most people associate safety lessons with accidents and injuries. However, some of the most valuable opportunities for improvement come from situations where nobody gets hurt.
Near misses provide a chance to identify hazards, improve processes, and strengthen workplace safety before an incident occurs.
The Problem: Treating Close Calls as Good Luck
When a near miss occurs, it can be tempting to move on because no injury took place. Work continues, schedules stay intact, and the event quickly fades into the background.
Unfortunately, the conditions that created the near miss often remain unchanged. What appears to be good luck today may become tomorrow’s injury if the underlying issue is never addressed. Failing to learn from close calls often means missing one of the best opportunities to improve safety.
Good Luck Is Not a Safety Strategy
An employee is carrying materials through a work area when their foot catches on a power cord stretched across a walkway. The employee stumbles but manages to regain their balance before falling.
Since no one is injured, it would be easy to dismiss the event as a harmless mistake and continue working. Instead, the employee reports the close call to a supervisor. Together they review the area and realize the cord placement creates an unnecessary trip hazard for anyone using the walkway.
The cord is relocated, housekeeping practices are improved, and the hazard is eliminated. A situation that could have resulted in an injury becomes an opportunity to strengthen workplace safety before someone gets hurt.
The Solution: Learn Before Someone Gets Hurt
Near misses often provide valuable information about workplace conditions, communication gaps, equipment placement, and work practices. They reveal weaknesses while the consequences are still small enough to be addressed safely.
When evaluating a near miss, consider questions such as:
• What happened?
• What could have happened?
• Why did it happen?
• What can we improve?
The answers often lead directly to practical safety improvements that benefit everyone.
The Switch: From Luck to Learning
A near miss should not simply be viewed as a lucky outcome. It should be viewed as a learning opportunity.
Organizations that consistently learn from close calls often prevent future incidents because they identify and eliminate hazards before injuries occur.
Management QuickTip
Encourage employees to report near misses without fear of blame. The goal is learning and improvement, not assigning fault.
Employee QuickTip
If something almost happens, say something. The lesson learned today may prevent someone else from getting hurt tomorrow.
September Reminder
Weather conditions can change quickly during the fall season. Review work areas regularly for slippery surfaces and changing site conditions.
Have you received your first Safety E-QuickTip and would like to check out some QuickTips from the past? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.
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Remember, safety should never cost employees or your company an arm and a leg.
Until next time, Stay Safe!
Your OWYN Safety Solution Team
Keith B. Dague, President