How to increase safety awareness through ‘near miss’ and ‘potential incident’ reporting

In a well-developed safety system, it is critical to reduce the accident occurrence rate before an accident actually happens. In order to minimize accident occurrance, we first have to pay attention to every step of the routine operation within the entire working procedure. When an incident has occurred, we then have to identify the root causes and apply immediate correction, and lastly, incorporate a proper filing system of these incidents.

In addition to job safety analysis, ‘near miss’ and ‘potential incident’ are the two other preventive measures that can help to increase safety awareness and to prevent accident. 'Near miss' is an incident that has happened but without injury or damage; 'potential incident' is a hazard that has been identified but no incident has happened. Properly investigate the root cause, process and result of the incident can help to increase the safety awareness of workers and can reduce the chance of future recurrence of similar type of accidents.



Building adjacent to the service
station has blocked the sight view
of the car drivers who will turn
into the station

'Near miss' incident

In a recent inspection during our petrol interceptor cleaning service in Tong Mei Road service station, we have identified a potential incident. Before performing the service, the working area has already been identified and confined. However, due to limited space available, the working area and pedestrian road are very close. Building adjacent to the service station has blocked the sight view of the car drivers who will turn into the station, although traffic cones have been placed.

Immediate action

Informed tanker driver to inwardly park the tanker closer to the manhole of the API, and moved the traffic cones outwardly to the edge of service station to enhance the working area and have better indication of a confined working area to show car drivers outside who were going to turn into the service station. In addition, we also reported the case to the station manager, consensus was collected that during future service delivery, the tanker should park as close and as inward as possible and the traffic cones should place out to the edge of the station and the pedestrian road.

 

Traffic cones were moved outwardly
to the pedestrian areato have better
indication for drivers outside who
were going to turn into the service
station

Increasing safety awareness
 

Immediate actions taken to correct errors caused by behavioural and/or external environment can prevent the occurance of hazards and accidents, enhance workers' safety awareness, and help minimize future accident recurrance. On top of that, these 'near miss' or 'potential incident' reports will be filed to refresh and enhance the safety awareness of any workers who might be involved in similar work tasks, so as to prevent similar mistakes and accidents from happening again.