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Different types of nearmisses

A near miss is an incident that would have resulted in harm but did not happen due to timely intervention of people or maybe luck. Different types of nearmisses can happen depending on the location or industry. For example, we have environmental near misses, such as a lit cigarette being dropped in a garbage can and burning out before causing a fire.

Different types of nearmisses.

Workplace nearmisses.

This kind of near-miss is peculiar in the workplace. For example, tripping of an employee on a trailing cable, though the employee didn’t fall but managed to regain their balance after that.

Other examples of workplace near misses are

  • A tool or object that the workers are using to work fell from a height but didn’t hit anyone below.
  • A worker almost enters a confined space without wearing the appropriate protective gear.
  • A worker almost handles a corrosive chemical container without knowing that the chemical is dangerous.

Health care nearmisses.

These type of nearmisses happens in a health care setting. Examples of a healthcare near miss are

  • A nurse intervenes to prevent a patient from falling to the ground when leaving the bed.
  • A nurse almost administered the wrong medication but discovered the mistake before giving out the medication.
  • A surgical team was about to operate on the wrong side, but later found out before commencing.

Environmental nearmisses.

These are the aspects associated with the environment. Examples of environmental near misses are

  • A lit cigarette is being dropped in a garbage can and burns out before causing a fire.
  • A worker tripped on a cable but didn’t fall to the ground.

Transportation nearmisses.

This type of nearmiss is often associated with a vehicle. Examples include

  • A vehicle about to stop narrowly avoids a collision with a pedestrian.
  • A vehicle narrowly avoids a pit during reversing operations.
  • A careless motorist almost hit a cyclist on the road.
  • A driver falls asleep and wakes up just in time while on the road trip.

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