Learning from Near Misses: Cross-Sector Reflections to Support Safety Management

Learning from Near Misses can provide opportunities to improve safety without the need for harm to have first occurred. Near misses are ‘free lessons’ which are high volume and rich in value. However, some sectors are yet to embrace learning from near misses to improve the effectiveness and safety of their operations. This book explores how near misses contribute to safety management across a range of high-risk sectors and shares lessons to help organisations, industries and sectors utilise learning from near misses in line with contemporary safety theory.

This title discusses how the management of near misses has developed in the past 30 years since early clarification of the concept. It defines the ‘near miss’ and describes its unique features in relation to controls while debating relevant safety science and how different perspectives (e.g., Safety I and Safety II) can help extract valuable learning from near misses to improve safety. Case studies reveal how near misses are managed and learnt from across a range of sectors. The reader will learn to acknowledge and appreciate the complexities of near misses in modern systems and recognise the considerations that are required to extract learning from them.

An ideal and essential read for safety practitioners, consultants and academics, this book is also suitable for those working in safety management in high-risk and highly regulated sectors.

Nick Woodier is a Healthcare Safety Investigator, Chartered Specialist in Human Factors and Ergonomics, and an ex- medical doctor. He holds a PhD in Safety Science and an MSc in Applied Ergonomics. His PhD focused on learning from near misses across different safety- critical industries. Nick’s further research interests include safety management, system design and investigation methodologies.