Learning from Workers' Near-miss Reports to Improve Organizational Management

Relationship Between Companies' Responses to Near-Miss Reports and Turnover Intentions of Workers: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Effective near-miss management is important in preventing workplace accidents. A company's inadequate response to near-miss reports can lead workers to feel insecure and dissatisfied with the company. We investigated the relationship between companies' responses to near-miss reports and turnover intentions of workers.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study using online self-administered questionnaire survey to workers aged ≥20 years in Japan in March 2022. The analysis included 5,071 participants who had near-miss experiences and reported them to their companies. The independent variable was companies' responses to near-miss reports, classified into three categories: adequate response group, inadequate response group, and no response group. The dependent variable was turnover intentions. We calculated the odds ratio and 95% confidential interval (CI) using multilevel logistic regression analyses nested for industries and adjusted for covariates.

Results

Of the 5,071 participants, 3,058 (60.3%) were adequate response group, 1,484 (29.3%) were inadequate response group, and 529 (10.4%) were no response group. In multivariable adjusted model, compared with adequate response group, the odds ratio of inadequate response group and no response group were 1.80 (95% CI: 1.56-2.08) and 2.63 (95% CI: 2.15-3.22), respectively.

Conclusion

Our results suggested that there was a relationship between companies' responses to the near-miss reports and turnover intentions of workers. It is important not only to collect near-misses but also to respond appropriately to the reports and provide feedback to workers.

Relationship between a company's adequate response to near-misses and occupational accidents: a 1-year prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Near-misses in the workplace indicate potential safety hazards, and their adequate management is considered extremely important in preventing occupational accidents. However, the impact of a company's response to near-misses on the occurrence of subsequent accidents remains unclear. This study examined the relationship between the adequacy of a company's responses to near-misses and the occurrence of occupational accidents.

METHODS

We conducted a 1-year prospective cohort study using an online self-administered questionnaire, targeting workers in Japan. The study included 2755 participants who had experienced and reported near-misses. We categorized company responses to these near-misses as adequate, inadequate, or no response. The outcome was the incidence of occupational accidents over the past year. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs using multilevel logistic regression adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS

Among all participants, 59.0% were in the adequate response group, 30.1% were in the inadequate response group, and 10.8% were in the no response group. In the multivariate-adjusted model, the ORs of the inadequate response and the no response groups were 1.53 (95% CI, 1.25-1.88; P < .001) and 1.75 (95% CI, 1.32-2.33; P < .001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the adequacy of a company's response to near-misses reported by workers can be significantly related to the occurrence of subsequent occupational accidents. Companies need to thoroughly respond to near-misses reported by workers and adequately inform workers about the company's safety activities. This may lead to a reduction in the number of subsequent occupational accidents.

Improving Safety Management through Analysis of Near-Miss Reports—A Tanker Ship Case Study

A near-miss management system (NMMS) is a tool used for improving safety at sea if adequately implemented. Valuable knowledge to improve safety management might be gained by investigating and analysing reported events. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to report each observed near-miss event. Because tankers are generally considered dangerous, but at the same time safe due to stringent requirements, near-miss reports and NMMS policy were collected from one oil tanker ship. Data were pre-processed and analysed. Variables used during analysis were near-miss type, risk level, ship position, and onboard location of near-miss occurrence. Analysis of policy and reports revealed that most near misses occurred on the deck area, but higher-risk-level events were reported in the engine room and navigating bridge. Housekeeping, equipment failure, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and process-/procedure-related events were most common and generally related to lower risk levels. The most frequent corrective actions recorded were implementing safe working practices and PPE. In addition, higher-risk-level events were related to less effective corrective actions. Based on the findings, suggestions for improvements include promoting safe behaviour and adequate PPE usage through additional training, ensuring proper housekeeping, regular maintenance of shipboard equipment and spare parts management, and toolbox meetings and risk assessments that include conclusions of near-miss investigations and analysis.

Safety climate and risk perception of forestry workers: a case study of motor-manual tree felling in Indonesia

Timber harvesting processes, especially motor-manual felling, are hazardous to forestry workers' health and safety. The purpose of this study is to examine forestry workers' mental safety models (at the supervisor and operator levels) using the Nordic safety climate questionnaire. This study also examines how operators and their families perceive workplace risks (dread and unknown risk factors). The safety climate analysis revealed that supervisors misunderstand management safety priority, competence, empowerment and justice. Additionally, this study found that operators do not yet prioritize safety. There was a lack of safety communication and operators' skepticism about the current safety system. These findings highlight the critical importance of implementing safety measures into operators' work environments. The risk perception analysis revealed that family members had a greater risk aversion to dread risk factors than operators. As a result, we see a possibility for family members to act as safety-net figures, bolstering the operators' safety values.