Near Miss Reporting: What Counts as a Near Miss, Examples and How to Get People Reporting

A near miss is an event that did not cause injury, ill health or damage, but could have. HSE’s guidance on investigating accidents, HSG245, describes it as an event not causing harm, but with the potential to cause injury or ill health. A dropped spanner that lands a metre from someone, a vehicle that reverses close to a pedestrian, or a ladder that slips but is caught: all are near misses.

Examples

• A scaffold fitting falls from height into an area people use
• An excavator bucket comes close to a buried cable that was not on the drawings
• A forklift and a pedestrian meet at a blind corner and the driver stops just in time
• A worker trips over a trailing cable but does not fall
• A chemical drum is found leaking in a store
• A fire door is found wedged open

Why near misses matter

Studies of accident ratios, such as Heinrich’s triangle and Frank Bird’s later work, found that for every serious injury there are many minor injuries and far more near misses. The exact numbers are debated, but the message holds: near misses share the same causes as serious accidents. Fixing them prevents the accident that would otherwise follow.

Which near misses must be reported by law?

Most near misses do not have to be reported to HSE. But RIDDOR lists certain dangerous occurrences that must be reported even if no one is hurt. These include the collapse or failure of lifting equipment, the collapse of scaffolding over 5 metres high, unintended building collapses, electrical short circuits or overloads causing fire or explosion, and the accidental release of substances that could cause injury.

Making reporting easy

1. Keep the form short: what happened, where, when and what could have happened.
2. Offer more than one way to report, such as a phone app, a QR code, a card or telling a supervisor.
3. Allow anonymous reports where people are worried.
4. Act on reports quickly and visibly, even if only to make something safe.
5. Feed back to the person who reported it, and share lessons in toolbox talks.
6. Never punish honest reporting. Reserve discipline for reckless behaviour.

Investigating near misses

Not every near miss needs a full investigation, but the potential outcome, not the actual outcome, should decide how deeply to look. A near miss that could have killed someone deserves the same attention as a serious accident. Our guide to root cause analysis shows how to find what really went wrong.

Using the data

Near miss reports are one of the best leading indicators of safety performance. A rising number of reports often means people trust the system, not that the workplace is getting less safe. Look for trends by location, task and time, and use them to target inspections and training.

Training that helps

IOSH Managing Safely covers incident reporting and investigation for managers in any sector, and IOSH Working Safely explains to workers why reporting matters. The NEBOSH National General Certificate covers active and reactive monitoring in depth. In construction, SSSTS and SMSTS cover reporting on site.

Frequently asked questions

What is a near miss?

An event that did not cause injury, ill health or damage, but had the potential to.

Do near misses have to be reported to HSE?

Only those listed as dangerous occurrences under RIDDOR. Others should be reported internally.

What is the accident triangle?

A model showing that for every serious injury there are many minor injuries and many more near misses, which share the same causes.

Is an increase in near miss reports bad?

Not necessarily. It often means people are more willing to report, which gives you more chances to prevent harm.

Read the source

HSE HSG245, Investigating accidents and incidents; the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, Schedule 2; and HSE guidance on RIDDOR dangerous occurrences. Facts checked on 6 October 2026.