ABSTRACT
Safety practitioners have often debated the expression “potential hazard” and have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a potential hazard. If the potential is high in terms of severity and probability, treat the incident as if something had happened and institute appropriate control measures. Assessing the potential of a near-miss gives a clear indication so that investigations can be prioritized. Using a simple risk matrix, each near-miss’s potential can be ranked and consequent investigations and follow-up actions prioritized. Management should take heed of the high potential near-misses and institute controls before a loss occurs. Near-misses are warnings that the management system is flawed. The loss causation sequence has been triggered, but, due to Luck Factor 1, has ended in a warning, a near-miss, or an incident. The sequence of events described so far have encountered Luck Factor 1 and have resulted in either a contact with a source of energy or an incident.
