A near miss, near death, near hit, or close call is an unplanned event[citation needed] that has the potential to cause, but does not actually result in human injury, environmental or equipment damage, or an interruption to normal operation.
[4] Factors relating to the context include time pressures, unfamiliar settings, and in the case of health care, diverse patients, and high patient-to-nurse staffing ratios.
Employees are not enlightened to report these close calls as there has been no disruption or loss in the form of injuries or property damage.
[8] Achieving and investigating a high ratio of near miss reports will find the causal factors and root causes of potential future accidents, resulting in about 95% reduction in actual losses.
The system was established after TWA Flight 514 crashed on approach to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., killing all 85 passengers and seven crew in 1974.
Some familiar safety rules, such as turning off electronic devices that can interfere with navigation equipment, are a result of this program.
[11] Furthermore, according to a report in The New York Times on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 in response to a series of near collisions, the Federal Aviation Administration sought the input of external experts.
Any member of the fire service community is encouraged to submit a report when he/she is involved in, witnesses, or is told of a near-miss event.
[19] Since its launch, the LEO Near Miss system has established endorsements and partnerships with the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) and the Below 100 organization.
[20] Law enforcement members are to submit voluntary reports when involved in or having witnessed or become aware of a near-miss event.
AORN, a US-based professional organization of perioperative registered nurses, has put in effect a voluntary near miss reporting system called SafetyNet covering medication or transfusion reactions, communication or consent issues, wrong patient or procedures, communication breakdown or technology malfunctions.
Professional diving has long established systems for risk assessment, incident mitigation, codes of practice and industry regulation, which have made it an acceptably safe occupation, but at considerable cost.
Risk awareness and personal and peer group attitudes are determining factors in triggering dive accidents.
Changing these attitudes would require either a cultural shift towards prioritizing safety and collaboration the major stakeholders in the diving community, or a clear threat to profits.