“OSHA strongly encourages employers to investigate all incidents in which a worker was hurt, as well as close calls (sometimes called "near misses"), in which a worker might have been hurt if the circumstances had been slightly different.” From OSHA.gov
Mishap verse Near-Miss?
A Mishap is defined as any unplanned event that results in personal injury or property damage.
A Near-Miss is an event that does not result in an injury or damage.
What to do when a Close Call is reported or a Mishap occurs
GSC Reaction is quick to accurately investigate the mishap, recreate the event, and help develop corrective action to ensure it does not reoccur. At no time is personal blame the point of an investigation. The human factor is included but the goal is always to find the elements that initiated the chain of events.
Investigating a Worksite Incident
Mishap investigation, reporting and record keeping are critical to safety compliance and occupational health requirements. The techniques used by GSC identity the cause and identify areas that can help you better understand how to correct workplace conditions to prevent mishaps in the future. The process will assist in understanding the primary elements of the mishap and relate it to other processes so the business leadership can establish procedures to prevent future occurrences, as well as educating workers on lessons learned.
Tailored investigation can be used to look at the factors the company leadership have an interest in or a fully detailed investigation to explore all aspects of a situation. As stated by OSHA in 29 CFR 1960.29(b), In any case, each accident which results in a fatality or the hospitalization of an employee shall be investigated to determine the causal factors involved. Let General Safety Consulting meet this need for your company.
In any business as in life, your people come first. The safety of the people is critical and enhances the productivity of your business. But in business, as in life, nothing is perfect. There will be close-calls (Near-Miss) and mishaps occur. When a mishap occurs, time is of the essence. The site is shutdown and production stops.
In short, workplace mishaps result in a fatality, injury, illness, and property damage. The close call is a mishap that will occur if not investigated and prevented by corrective action.