Top Tip Tuesday - Undesirable Events

U – UNDESIRABLE EVENTS

Also known as near misses, incidents, accidents, and many others. Undesirable events are things that occur which results in harm, loss, or disruption.

How do you encourage individuals to proactively report these events which then provides you with an opportunity to intervene before it develops into something more serious.

Top tips on encouraging reporting

·    Encourage our employees to report a near miss however trivial they may think it is

·    Reassure our employees that they will not get into trouble for reporting a near miss

·    Take each near miss seriously and rectify any issues immediately

·    Ensure all near miss reports are recorded and common occurrences given more resources

·    Ensure near misses are discussed at health and safety meetings to highlight any issues.

The approach for investigating incidents can also help prevent a recurrence and is something to consider if you are ever involved in an investigation. This is the COM-B approach (capability + opportunity + motivation = behaviour).

Capability: Trained, physically, psychologically, and socially able.

Opportunity: The environment allows me to do it. I have enough resources and time to do it.

Motivation: Habitual. I want to do it. It’s the right thing to do.

These three things can influence behaviour and unless you fully understand the mindset of the individual, it is difficult to minimise the recurrence of undesirable events.

Need more help on this? Contact us as we are happy to advise and guide you.