Friday, August 28, 2026

Why Close Calls Matter

By Michael Schroeder Hubert, Manitoba Training Program Manager

Back when I was on the tools, I also served as a safety rep on the crew that I was part of. I would regularly ask around to see if there were any “near misses” that we could discuss at Tool Box meetings. I could always count on one person to come right back at me with, “Isn’t a near miss actually a hit?” Yes, Rob, you are technically right. If we are talking about something that nearly missed, then by definition it did hit.

There are times when that direct hit is avoided, not because we are good, but because we are lucky. You’ve probably had a time on site when you’ve had to pause, wipe your brow, and consider how lucky you are that things have not gone sideways more than they just did.

There are multiple reasons why these things happen. It could be that the safe work procedure that was being followed wasn’t actually safe, and it needs to be changed to ensure that the process for doing the task is actually safe. It could be that a tool or piece of equipment was not functioning properly. Someone might not have the right training to do a task. And yes, there are times when we just screw up and cause things to go wrong.

In unhealthy workplaces, these topics are kept under hush-hush. You might hear about them in off-the-record conversations over coffee or at the end of the day, but they rarely become part of open, honest discussions. Workers worry that if word gets out, they are at risk of losing their job. (If we are making mistakes, we do need to take responsibility and figure out why they happened.)

These events, which nearly result in injury or damage to materials or equipment, must be understood by everyone on the crew. Sharing and learning from these incidents helps prevent the conditions that led to the near miss from occurring again, potentially with far more serious consequences.

In healthy workplaces, we need to mine the gold from these events to ensure that they don’t end up costing someone their health and safety.

So, if you do have one of those “that was close” moments, speak up and take time to share what happened and what led to it happening. This may save you from the direct hit next time, but it will also make sure that everyone else can avoid the same outcome. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity to learn from near misses.

Why Close Calls Matter

You might be interested in