SafetyPaperwork
Toolbox talk · Australia

Near Miss Reporting Toolbox Talk

A near miss is an accident that nearly happened: the hammer that fell and missed, the trench wall that slumped when nobody was in it. Every serious injury usually has a string of near misses before it. Reporting them is a free lesson, and the only way to fix the problem before someone gets hurt.

Takes about 5 minutes.

Key points to read out

  1. Report every near miss, no matter how small it seems.
  2. Reporting is about fixing the problem, not blaming anyone.
  3. Make it quick: tell your supervisor, use the app or form, and take a photo if it is safe to.
  4. Include what happened, where, when and what could have happened.
  5. Make the area safe first if you can, so it cannot happen again straight away.
  6. We will share what was found and what was fixed at the next toolbox talk.
  7. Notifiable incidents, including dangerous incidents with no injury, must be reported to the regulator straight away. Tell the supervisor at once.
  8. The more near misses we report, the fewer injuries we have.

Questions to ask the crew

  1. Has anyone had a near miss this week?
  2. What stops people from reporting near misses?
  3. How do you report one on this job?
  4. What was the last near miss we fixed?

Reference: WHS Act 2011, Part 3 (Incident notification)

Get it signed

Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.

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