Keeping our house in order | September and October health and safety focus
Posted on Friday, 25 September 2026 under Health & Safety,
What is a near miss?
A near miss is an event that could have caused injury, illness, damage or environmental harm – but didn't.
An incident is an event that did result in harm, such as an injury, illness, damage or impact.
Why report near misses?
A near miss is an opportunity to learn and prevent potential injuries.
In the last 12 months, ANZCO workers reported 391 near misses, and we want to hear about more.
A near miss is a close call – something happened that could have caused harm, but luckily, no one was hurt this time. It could be because someone reacted quickly, noticed the hazard in time, or simply happened to be in the right place at the right time.
But, just because no one was hurt this time, doesn’t mean it won’t happen next time. We want to use these experiences to learn and reduce risk.
If you have a near miss or see one, report it. Speaking up helps us identify hazards, prevent incidents, and keep our workmates safe.
What could you report?
Here are some examples of near misses:
- Someone trips over a box left in a walkway but catches themselves before falling
- You spot damaged flooring during your shift and report it before someone trips.
Here’s an example of a near miss that was reported, and the hazard was able to be fixed:
A worker was transferring FoamKlenz, a cleaning chemical, into smaller containers when the pipe they were using burst and sprayed chemical near the employee. The site has since established a regular preventative check for chemical hoses and is considering an auto-dosing system to reduce the need to handle chemicals manually.
