In brief
A near miss is an event that had the potential to harm a worker, the workplace or equipment but did not cause harm, and under Art. 14 of Law No. 6331 the employer investigates and reports these events. A working system consists of an easy reporting channel, optional anonymous reporting, a review carried out promptly and feedback to the reporter. You can adapt the form template in this article to your own workplace.
What is a near miss?
A pallet falling from a forklift lands on the floor without hitting anyone, no one happens to be under a sling when it snaps, a residual current device cuts the circuit when a cable is damaged. No one has been injured; but next time the same luck may not be there. Near miss reporting is the way to record these “lucky” events and eliminate their causes before an accident happens.
The legal definition is in Art. 4 of the Regulation on OHS Risk Assessment: a near miss is an event occurring at the workplace that has the potential to harm a worker, the workplace or work equipment but does not cause harm. Two elements of the definition are important: an event has occurred and no harm has resulted. An oil spill on the floor on its own is an “unsafe condition”; when someone slips on that spill and catches themselves before falling, a near miss has occurred. It is useful to record both, but separating them in the report makes analysis easier.
What does the legislation require for near misses?
Near misses are dealt with not in a single article but across several pieces of legislation together:
The primary source of these provisions is Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety. The basic administrative fine for 2026 for breaching the recording and reporting obligation in the first paragraph of Art. 14 of the Law is 33,326 TL; details are in the OHS administrative fines tool. Near misses do not need to be notified to the Social Security Institution (SGK); SGK notification is for occupational accidents and occupational diseases.
Near miss examples
Answering workers’ question “what should I report?” with concrete examples is the easiest way to increase the number of reports:
| Event | Possible consequence | First measure |
|---|---|---|
| A forklift passed very close to a pedestrian while turning a corner | Crushing | Mirror at the blind spot, pedestrian walkway and speed limit |
| A box fell from the top level of a rack, no one was underneath | Head injury | Stacking height rule, rack edge protection |
| The sling of a load being lifted slipped | Falling load | Sling checks, slinging training |
| The two-hand control on a press was found bridged | Loss of a limb | Stopping the machine, removing the bridge |
| A hose connection came off, chemical splashed onto the floor | Eye and skin burns | Changing the connection type, spill kit |
| An arc occurred in a panel, a fuse blew | Electric shock, fire | Panel inspection, preventing unauthorised intervention |
For more scenarios, our article on the forklift and pedestrian traffic plan describes typical near miss situations in warehouses.
Channels for near miss reporting
A good system makes it easier for the worker to report than to leave the job. Opening more than one channel reaches workers with different habits:
- Paper form and box: In each department, with forms and a pen, in an easily visible place.
- Form opened by QR code: For those who want to report from their phone.
- Verbal reporting: To the shift supervisor or the employee representative; the supervisor fills in the form together with the worker.
- OHS committee and site rounds: Situations noticed on rounds also go into the same system.
Keep the range of people who can report broad. In addition to your own workers, subcontractor workers, apprentices and interns see the same hazards on the same site; show them where the form is during induction. Make sure the form and box are accessible on the night shift and, in workplaces with foreign workers, that the form is prepared in an understandable language or with pictures. Also measure how long reporting takes: if filling in the form takes more than a few minutes, simplify the fields.
Anonymous reporting is not a requirement laid down in the legislation; it is a design choice. However, especially in the first months of the system, it reduces the worry “will I get into trouble if I write my name?”. Leave the name field on the form optional. To give feedback, get back to those who write their names, and for those who do not, announce the outcome on the department notice board. Not blaming the person who reports because of their report is essential for the system to survive; for details, see our article on how to build an OHS culture.
Near miss incident report: free form template
You can copy the fields below into your own form. The worker fills in the front of the form, and the person reviewing it the back:
| Section | Field | Who fills it in? |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Date, time, shift, department and exact location | Reporter |
| Event | What happened? Brief description; photo if available | Reporter |
| Event | What could have happened? (injury, damage, fire) | Reporter |
| Event | What was done immediately? (machine stopped, area closed off) | Reporter |
| Event | Name and contact details (optional) | Reporter |
| Review | Possible severity and likelihood of recurrence (using the risk assessment method) | Specialist or person in charge |
| Review | Root cause: equipment, method, environment, training, organisation | Specialist and department manager |
| Review | Corrective action, owner and deadline | Department manager |
| Closure | Check that the measure has been implemented, and the date | Specialist |
| Closure | Has feedback been given to the reporter and the department? | Department manager |
| Closure | Has the risk assessment been updated? | Specialist |
Reports are kept in a file or spreadsheet with a sequence number; these records are evidence that you have fulfilled the investigation and reporting obligation in Law No. 6331, Art. 14/1-b.
The review and feedback cycle
A system in which reports go unanswered falls silent within a few months. The legislation sets no deadline; the following internal targets work well in practice:
- Same day: If there is a serious hazard, the work is stopped or the area closed off; the department manager is informed.
- Within a few working days: The specialist and the department manager review the event on site, identify the root cause and write down the measure with an owner and a deadline.
- When the measure is complete: Its implementation is checked on site; the outcome is explained to the reporter and the department.
- Monthly: Reports are assessed together; recurring issues are transferred to the risk assessment and the training plan. In workplaces with 50 or more workers, this assessment is a natural item on the OHS committee agenda.
Under Art. 12 of the Risk Assessment Regulation, a near miss is one of the situations requiring the risk assessment to be renewed. It is not necessary to rewrite the whole document for every report; the relevant section is partially updated. For the method, see our risk assessment guide, and for what to do when an event turns into an accident, our article on the first 72 hours after an occupational accident.
How is near miss culture measured?
An increase in the number of reports is usually a good sign in the first stage: hazards have not multiplied, they have become visible. So “reducing the number of near misses” should not be set as a target. Instead, monitor these indicators: how many reports were reviewed on time, how many measures were closed and whether feedback was given to reporters. For suppliers providing parts to the automotive OEMs in Bursa and neighbouring provinces, these records and action closures may also come up in customer audits; to prepare, see our article on preparing for a supplier OHS audit and our automotive supplier industry page.
In our OHS specialist service, we adapt the reporting form to your workplace, carry out the reviews and enter the results in your risk assessment document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a near miss notified to SGK?
No. The obligation to notify SGK applies to occupational accidents and occupational diseases. Near misses are investigated and reported by the employer under Law No. 6331, Art. 14/1-b; these reports are kept at the workplace.
Is anonymous near miss reporting acceptable?
The legislation neither requires nor prohibits anonymous reporting. Leaving the name field optional makes reporting easier, especially at the start of the system; by announcing outcomes on the department notice board you can also give feedback to anonymous reporters.
What is the difference between a near miss and an unsafe condition?
An unsafe condition is a risk that exists before any event has occurred; for example, an oil spill on the floor. A near miss is a situation in which an event occurred but no harm resulted; for example, slipping on that spill and catching oneself without falling. Both records are valuable for prevention.
Does a near miss renew the risk assessment?
Yes. Art. 12 of the Risk Assessment Regulation lists the occurrence of a near miss among the situations requiring the risk assessment to be renewed in whole or in part. In practice, the section to which the event relates is updated.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.