Updated 5 March 2026
Quick Answer:
A near miss (also called a near hit or close call) is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage, but had the potential to do so. In construction, examples include: a tool falling from height but missing workers below, a vehicle reversing close to a pedestrian, a scaffold board cracking under weight but not collapsing, or an electrical cable being struck during excavation without causing electrocution.
Heinrich's Triangle (1931) established that for every serious injury, there are approximately 29 minor injuries and 300 near misses. Modern research has validated this ratio. Near misses are free warnings. they reveal hazards and system failures before someone gets hurt. Sites with high near miss reporting rates have lower injury rates, not because they are more dangerous, but because they have better hazard visibility and can act before harm occurs.
Near misses are not reportable under RIDDOR (which covers actual injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences). However, CDM 2015 requires the principal contractor to monitor health and safety performance, and near miss data is a key performance indicator. Most clients, principal contractors, and accreditation schemes (CHAS, SafeContractor, SSIP) require near miss reporting as part of their safety management systems.
An effective near miss report should capture: what happened (factual description), where it happened (specific location on site), when it happened (date and time), who was involved or nearby, what could have happened (potential consequences), and what the likely cause was. Photographs are invaluable. The report should be submitted on the same day as the event. not retrospectively.
Most sites struggle with under-reporting. Workers do not report near misses because they fear blame, because the process is too complicated, or because nothing happens when they do report. To build a reporting culture: make reporting simple (one-page form or digital submission), respond to every report with feedback, never blame the reporter, celebrate reporting (not the absence of incidents), investigate significant near misses with the same rigour as actual injuries, and share lessons learned in toolbox talks.