La Duke, associate and principle of Rockford Greene International, stressed that near misses provide important information about hazards and are essential elements for calculating risks. Unfortunately, it can be all but impossible to get an accurate count of near misses. And when employees are reluctant to report them, that just makes it more difficult
Here are the top nine reasons La Duke says workers often don’t report near misses:
1. Fear – Believe it or not, fear actually may be the least common reason workers avoid reporting near misses. It’s true that some workplaces cultivate an environment where employees are punished for being injured, so these workers are unlikely to report near misses if they fear they will lose their jobs. Overall, however, this usually isn’t the most common reason workers neglect to report their near misses.
2. Embarrassment – La Duke once worked with a safety director who called a particular employee “accident prone” and a “frequent flyer” based on her past injury record. If workers see their supervisors or coworkers humiliate those who make mistakes or experience incidents, they may be too embarrassed to come forward and admit they experienced a near miss. “We need to make our [workplace] culture one that accepts the fallibility of all people,” La Duke said.
3. Difficulty – La Duke pointed out that if an organization makes near misses difficult to report, with confusing paperwork or a convoluted process, workers won’t do it. Instead, supervisors should simply listen to the worker’s account of the near miss and then complete any necessary paperwork on the worker’s behalf. Difficulty is what prevented La Duke from reporting his own near misses – he ended up asking half a dozen people how to file a report, never got a straight answer and finally gave up.
4. Bureaucracy – Some organizations may ask workers who experienced near misses to attend committees or meetings to share their stories. While this approach can work in some companies, it also may be problematic. If workers suspect their near miss is going to trigger a bureaucratic machine of paperwork and meetings, they might rather avoid the whole thing. “People have natural predisposition toward expediency,” La Duke said. “Don’t bog [them] down with bureaucratic rules and garbage.”
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