Near-miss reporting in risk management can act as a valuable solution to prevent future accidents, but a few critical processes should be included for any benefits to be realized.

Whether you call it a close call, narrow escape, near collision, or a near hit, they are all near misses or unplanned events that did not result in injury, illness, or damage, but had the potential to do so. A simple change of events or break in the chain prevented either an injury, fatality, or property damage.

“Near-miss reporting is important as these are great learning opportunities to fix a hazard in the workplace before something occurs,” says Sara Gibson, Senior Risk Manager at Safety National. “However, the systems used for investigating and reporting these incidents need to be actively used, and many organizations are running into obstacles that prevent them from prioritizing these near-miss management systems (NMMS).”

A recent study found that a lack of NMMS engagement is linked to employees not understanding what events should be reported, low awareness of near-miss reporting due to lack of training, and poor safety culture. Although no standard process has been defined, near-miss incidents should be assessed to determine causes, potential for harm, and future prevention. Both unsafe conditions and unsafe behaviors can increase the possibility of an incident. The primary difference is how close the events are to becoming an incident.

The main processes that usually are included in an NMMS are:

• Reporting and Collecting – This critical first step is often missed due to poor safety culture, a fear of reporting, and a lack of employee engagement. This process can be simplified with electronic reporting.
• Cause Assessment – This is often not prioritized because an injury has not occurred. Implementing standard root cause analysis or other incident identification processes can help engage stakeholders.
• Solution Identification – All affected employees should be involved in identifying a solution to apply corrective actions and prevent it from happening again.
• Prevention Communication – Discussions should be positive, and individuals should be recognized for identifying and preventing an incident from occurring.

Every near-miss is a call for action. Sometimes, it is easily fixed; other times, it will need special attention and a planned correction. In either case, a near miss should never be ignored. All near-misses must be reported and investigated so the next incident does not result in an injury or worse.

Originally published in Safety National’s Carrier Chronicles.

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Payroll Audits Now Available

Members with completed audits can access their electronic annual audit report and final audit premium schedule through the member portal.

IMWCA will continue to make the audit reports available online as we receive them from Information Providers Inc. IMWCA members and agents will access the documents by using their sign-in. Each member has 30 days in which to review the audit. The 30-day period begins on the day the member receives an email that their report is available online

Audit invoices and refunds will still arrive via postal mail. If there are no audit documents available or you need to request changes, please contact Andrew Justice at andrewjustice@iowaleague.org or (800) 257-2708.

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As a valued member of IMWCA, we are committed to providing you with the resources and knowledge necessary to effectively manage your employees when they sustain an injury at work. We have identified a critical need for further education in this area and are hosting a series of regional trainings designed to address the most common challenges and improve your claims process.

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Iowa League of Cities Conference

We look forward to seeing our city members at the Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit in Sioux City. Stop by and say hello at our exhibit booth, during the IMWCA sponsored wellness event or at our workshop on Uncovering Hidden Savings: Risk Management Strategies for Cities.

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