This near miss reporting template is free to use and makes reporting, approving and rectifying near misses quick and safe.

A near miss is defined as:

An unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage – but had the potential to do so.

Near misses are a grey area of site etiquette. They often go unnoticed or unreported because they involve 'no harm, no foul situations'.

But near misses are hazards and accidents waiting to happen. Companies, safety teams and engineers shouldn't just look at what happened; but should instead always be considering what could happen.

Near miss reporting is incredibly important. It is the quickest, safest and most reliable way to reduce safety incidents and accidents. Precautionary measures and site maintenance are cheaper and easier to manage and document than actual incidents - and no one actually gets hurt.

Near misses go unreported for a number of reasons, which include:

• Fear and embarrassment
• Reporting isn't easy enough
• Lack of understanding of what constitutes a near miss
• No employee motivation and a poor system of reporting

This complete near miss reporting template ensures that near miss reporting accessible and understandable for your teams and projects - and makes completing and approving near misses easier and more reliable through standardised form fields:

• Automated form ID #
• Date near miss observed
• Hazard current location and status
• Type of incident selector
• Description of incident
• Photos of work area
• Digital signoff for observer
• Summary of corrective actions
• Additional reviewer comments and digital reviewer signoff