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Posted By Marianne Symons
Are there any HSE texts on near miss reporting? Does it provide real benefits in practice? Is it worth pursuing? I am in the construction industry.
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Posted By Nick Higginson
Marianne,
HS(G)65 contains some info on near misses.
It is worthwhile pursuing, and there are real benefits, but it can be difficult to get people to report in the early stages. Some companies have enough trouble getting staff top report accidents, let alone near misses!
Regards,
Nick
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Posted By David Brede If you know your theory then the ratios of fatalities to reportable accidents to minor accidents to unsafe acts is well known. So theoretically near misses are a precursor to more serious incidents. Near miss reporting (or the lack of it) is strong evidence of the corporate culture extant in an organisation. So if there is a blame culture in evidence in your business or industry (and in construction there certainly is!) then the voluntary reporting of unsafe acts is at best patchy. Also if subcontractors are involved there are the cross currents of the commercial sensitivity of the impact of a near miss report on a firms ability to trade with a client or principal contractor. In the rail and air transport industries there are confidential reporting systems which work quite well. If your organisation is big enough you could float this as an idea. Whilst doing my MBA dissertation on H&S I got quite interested in the human factors side of this subject of which this is a part. So if you would like to discuss this in more depth drop me a line on davidbrede@yahoo.com.
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Posted By Marianne Symons
Thank you for the responses to date. I am really looking for someone with practical experience of operating a near miss reporting procedure. I understand the theory but am not sure that introducing still more reporting requirements will have any real effect on safety performance. After all the causes of accidents and ill health in construction are all too well known!
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Posted By Tony Harmsworth
I have run such systems in previous organisations and introduced it to my current one just over a year ago now and found it very useful. I am not a subscriber to the simple triangle theory of the relationship between near misses and fatalities. However ther are some real practical advantages in relation to the improvement in H&S culture.
Reporting systems need to be simple and something needs to happen as a result of the reports. Contact me at 01454 624059 if you wish to discuss further.
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Posted By Nick Higginson
Tony,
I find your comments most interesting. You are not a subscriber to the "simple triangle" theory that took years of research and is preached on practically every safety course ever delivered? Enlighten me please?
Nick
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Marianne
I operated a system successfully on site but it ultimately requires the full support of on-site supervisors and managers. They have to be committed to responding to matters raised in rapid fashion. If things are left undone then system falls into disrepute, and they need ideally in construction to meet a 1 hour deadline. I called mine STOP which is a borrow from Dupont but does not follow same rules, I use what I call Take 5 for their process. E-mail me or phone 01352 792846 for a fuller discussion
Bob
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Posted By Jack
Nick
Tony's scepticism seems to be supported by Andrew Hales interesting paper in the recent IOSH Journal. It concludes that there has been some sloppy formulation of this belief (ie Heinrichs, Birds triangles) in the past. Worth a read, (but I haven't finished reading it yet).
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Posted By Nick Higginson
Jack,
To be honest, the IOSH journal is not something I read. I am now receiving 3 magazines a month, and on top of trawling the web for info and studying for NEBOSH Diploma, I am reaching information overload!! Is it worth spending more money on??
If we are to be sceptic about the validity of the triangles, does it not question many of the principles that are taught on NEBOSH and other courses?
Nick
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Nick
Andrew is saying that we need to treat the triangles with care and not as a god. His basic premise is that the causes of minor accidents are not necessarily those of major accidents. This may well be true at the disaster level but this does not always recognise that simple accidents can have disastrous results - witness the 9 year old who died after falling and hitting his head on a gatepost. The consequences of an accident are not measured a priori by the severity of it. Read the article if you can it is thought provoking. By the way the Journal is worth the subs additional amount. It is only quarterly approx.
Bob
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Posted By Nick Higginson
I don't think anyone would argue that the causes of simple accidents are not always the same as major ones, which is why the level of accident/incident investigations should be based on the potential level of harm, not the actual.
Nevertheless, in trying to anticipate loss causing potential, are near misses not one of the best ways of doing this? (based on the triangle theories, if not the specific figures) Accidents are just too rare (whoever you may work for) to make data meaningful. Apologies if I'm on the wrong track, as I've not read the article.
Nick
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Nick
I agree with you. The work place is littered with 3day and major injuries from petty accidents which Near Misses often are useful pre warnings. This to me was the weakness in what Andrew was arguing.
As a route to employee participation in accident prevention Near Miss reporting is a useful tool. Peter McKie, former MD Dupont, oft states that most injuries have their basis, proximally, in actions by employees. I accept that this is a simplification to a degree and other factors exist underneath. He then goes on to say that Bank Robbers rob banks because that is where the money is. So actions are for us where the money is and tackling the issue by increasing involvement through Near Miss reporting can lead to some dramatic reductions.
Management attitudes and actions also must form part of the questioning for NM reporting and employees need to be aware of the ability to deal with and report such issues in an open way.
Bob
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Posted By Nick Higginson
Bob,
Agree with you 100%. Would you agree that there are times that when these (mostly excellent) articles appear questioning established values that they can cause more harm than good? There was one in the Practitioner a few months ago about Safety Cultures. I agree that these are valid points for major organistations and seasoned safety professionals, but there are many, many companies that need to get the basics right first. It is somewhat disappointing when a manager can quote an article that disagrees with the things you are trying to preach.
Anyone else have any experiences? I await Jack and his inevitable twopenneths worth.
Nick
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Nick
There is also a case for agreeing with Andrew as the petty events will not lead us to an understanding of what creates c omplex failures such as Kavaerner on the Severn Bridge or Hewdens at Canary Wharf. It does us all good to question perceived wisdom and review the outcome. With over 20years in safety I try not to be too fixed because I know the next event will be new yet again. It is the urge to make a difference that really drives us - Witness Charlie Moorcraft at Harrogate some years ago. Hope the studying progresses
Bob
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Posted By Don Mason
Marianne,
Not sure what you are going to do with all the posted advice.
Mine is, simply go for a system. Get everyone on board first. I am sure that if the near misses (or hits) are dealt with properly, you will,will, will prevent more serious incidents.
My umpteen years in safety and several employers has proved it can and does work.
Don ~~~~
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Posted By Richard
Marianne
I agree with Don. I always preach that comprehensive near miss reporting is one of the greatest single factors in accident rate reduction
Richard
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