Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

5.4.4 Near 
miss
This is any incident that could have resulted in an acci-
dent. Knowledge of near misses is very important since 
research has shown that, approximately, for every 10 
‘near miss’ events at a particular location in the work-
place, a minor accident will occur.
5.4.5 Dangerous 
occurrence
This is a ‘near miss’ which could have led to serious 
injury or loss of life. Dangerous occurrences are defi ned 
in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous 
Occurrences Regulations 1995 (often known as RIDDOR) 
and are always reportable to the Enforcement Authorities. 
Examples include the collapse of a scaffold or a crane or 
the failure of any passenger carrying equipment.
In 1969, F E Bird collected a large quantity of 
accident data and produced a well-known triangle 
(Figure 5.3).
It can be seen that damage and near miss accidents 
occur much more frequently than injury accidents and 
are, therefore, a good indicator of hazards. The study 
also shows that most accidents are predictable and 
avoidable.
5.4.1 Hazard and risk
A hazard is the 
potential
of a substance, activ-
ity or process to cause harm. Hazards take 
many forms including, for example, chem-
icals, electricity and the use of a ladder. A haz-
ard can be ranked relative to other hazards or 
to a possible level of danger.
A risk is the 
likelihood
of a substance, 
activity or process to cause harm. Risk (or 
strictly the level of risk) is also linked to the 
severity of its consequences. A risk can be 
reduced and the hazard controlled by good 
management.
It is very important to distinguish between 
a hazard and a risk – the two terms are often 
confused and activities often called high risk 
are in fact high hazard. There should only be 
high residual risk where there is poor health 
and safety management and inadequate 
control measures.
Figure 5.2
Accident at work.
1
10
30
600
Serious or disabling injuries
Minor injuries (first aid injuries)
Damage accidents
Near miss accidents
Figure 5.3
F E Bird’s well-known accident triangle.

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