Some track claims.
Very few track near misses—and that’s a costly mistake.
A near miss is an unplanned event that could have resulted in an injury, illness, or damage but didn’t—this time. The keyword is this time. Because when near misses go unreported, uninvestigated, and unaddressed, they almost always show up later as workers’ compensation claims.
We make this point clear:
Near-miss reporting is one of the most powerful leading indicators an employer has—but it’s also one of the most ignored.
Why Near Misses Matter More Than Injuries
Injury data is backward-looking.
Near-miss data is forward-looking.
Click Link to Access Free PDF Download
“The 6-Step Process To Determine Workers’ Comp Injury Causation”
By the time you’re analyzing claims, the damage is already done:
-
the employee is hurt
-
the claim exists
-
costs are accumulating
-
productivity is disrupted
Near misses give you a chance to intervene before any of that happens.
They show you:
-
unsafe acts
-
unsafe conditions
-
weak processes
-
training gaps
-
cultural blind spots
In other words, they reveal causation without consequences—and that’s incredibly valuable.
The OSHA Connection Employers Miss
OSHA’s entire system is built around prevention.
The reason OSHA collects injury data is not paperwork—it’s pattern recognition.
Near-miss reporting fits perfectly into that philosophy:
-
same environment
-
same tasks
-
same equipment
-
same exposure
The only difference is timing.
When employers treat near misses as “non-events,” they lose the opportunity OSHA intended them to have: learning without injury.
Why Most Companies Don’t Track Near Misses
Near-miss programs fail for three predictable reasons:
1. Employees Don’t Trust the System
If reporting a near miss feels like admitting fault or inviting discipline, employees will stay silent.
2. Management Doesn’t Act on the Data
Nothing kills reporting faster than employees saying, “I reported that last time and nothing changed.”
3. Near Misses Aren’t Integrated into Injury Management
Near-miss data often lives in a separate spreadsheet, safety binder, or inbox—completely disconnected from claims, OSHA logs, and root cause analysis.
When near misses aren’t part of the larger injury management system, they get ignored.
Near Misses Predict Workers’ Comp Claims
The same factors show up repeatedly in near-miss data before injuries occur:
-
poor housekeeping
-
rushed work
-
improper lifting
-
equipment design issues
-
lack of training
-
inadequate supervision
If those conditions remain unchanged, injuries are inevitable.
Near misses are the “almost claims” that tell you exactly where to focus prevention efforts.
What Effective Near-Miss Reporting Actually Looks Like
A strong near-miss program is:
-
Simple – quick to report, no complex forms
-
Non-punitive – no discipline for reporting
-
Visible – management acknowledges and responds
-
Integrated – connected to safety and workers’ comp systems
Near-miss reports should capture:
-
what happened
-
where it happened
-
what task was being performed
-
what could have gone wrong
-
what prevented the injury
That data becomes gold when reviewed alongside OSHA and workers’ comp trends.
How Near-Miss Data Improves Workers’ Comp Outcomes
When near-miss reporting is integrated properly, employers see:
-
fewer recordable injuries
-
lower TRIR
-
reduced lost-time claims
-
better return-to-work performance
-
fewer repeat injuries
-
stronger safety culture
Why? Because the organization fixes problems before they injure someone.
Closing the Loop: From Near Miss to Prevention
The transcript describes this as a continuous improvement cycle:
-
Near miss occurs
-
Data is captured
-
Root cause is identified
-
Fix is implemented
-
Training is updated
-
Injury is prevented
This is how safety and workers’ comp stop being reactive and start being strategic.
The Bottom Line
Every injury was once a near miss that didn’t get addressed.
Employers who ignore near misses wait for claims to tell them something is wrong. Employers who track near misses fix problems early—when the cost is lowest and the opportunity is greatest.
If you want fewer workers’ comp claims tomorrow, start paying attention to the near misses happening today.
Michael Stack, CEO of Amaxx LLC, is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and provides education, training, and consulting to help employers reduce their workers’ compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is co-author of the #1 selling comprehensive training guide “Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers’ Comp Costs: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.” Stack is the creator of Injury Management Results (IMR) software and founder of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center. WC Mastery Training teaching injury management best practices such as return to work, communication, claims best practices, medical management, and working with vendors. IMR software simplifies the implementation of these best practices for employers and ties results to a Critical Metrics Dashboard.
Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/
Injury Management Results (IMR) Software: https://imrsoftware.com/
©2025 Amaxx LLC. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker, attorney, or qualified professional.
