A Miss Today, A Lesson for Tomorrow
Monday, 01 December 2025
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Posted by: Ernest Roper
 A miss today, a lesson for tomorrow: mastering near miss reporting in SA construction.
On a South African construction site, a brick falls from a scaffold and lands centimetres from a worker. An excavator operator reverses, narrowly missing a trench. These events are often met with a nervous laugh and a "voetstoots" attitude. But this response is a missed opportunity. In an industry with an unacceptably high incident rate, near misses are our most powerful, cost-effective tool for preventing serious injuries and fatalities.
What is a near miss in our context?
A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage but had the clear potential to do so. It is a free warning sign that our safety controls, be it procedures, training or supervision, have failed.
The safety triangle in the SA context
This proven model shows that for every major injury or fatality; there are hundreds of minor injuries and thousands of near misses. By proactively implementing the Safety Triangle principle, which encompasses reporting the near-misses that are regularly observed, we can prevent catastrophic safety incidents.
Why is reporting so low on SA sites? Breaking the barriers
Despite its value, near-miss reporting is often low. Understanding our local barriers is the first step to overcoming them: - Fear of Blame or Disciplinary Action: Workers, especially those in precarious employment, fear losing their jobs for reporting an error.
- "No Harm, No Foul" / "It's fine" Mentality: A cultural tendency to downplay events where no immediate harm occurred.
- Perceived Bureaucracy: Complicated, paper-based forms in a multilingual environment create a major hurdle.
- Production Pressure: The fear of being the one who "stopped the job" and delayed progress.
- Lack of Feedback: Workers report a near miss but see no visible change, leading to cynicism ("why bother?").
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Building an effective near miss System for SA sites
A successful system must be simple non-punitive and learning focused, aligned with the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
1. Champion a "just culture" from the top
Foremen and Site Managers must lead by example. The message must be clear: "We want to fix the problem, not punish the person." Reporting a near miss is a positive responsible act that is recognised and valued.
2. Simplify the process for all
- Keep it simple: Use visual forms with checkboxes and simple language, available in key languages like IsiZulu, Sesotho, English and Afrikaans.
- Go digital: Consider a simple, low-data USSD code or WhatsApp number for reporting, overcoming literacy and paperwork barriers.
- Anonymous option: Allow for anonymous reporting to build initial trust and encourage reporting without fear.
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3. Train and empower every worker
- Use real, relatable examples from your sites in toolbox talks.
- Empower every worker from general labourer to artisan with the authority and responsibility to "STOP & REPORT."
- Frame it as "Looking out for your brothers and sisters."
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4. Implement the closed-loop process Reporting without action kills the system. The process must be:
- Immediate action: Make the situation safe.
- Root cause analysis: Use the "5 Whys" to find the underlying cause—was it a lack of training, poor communication or faulty equipment?
- Implement corrective actions: Fix the root cause. This is a direct demonstration of the company's commitment to safety.
- Share the learnings & close the Loop: Communicate the incident, its cause and the action taken to everyone on site. Use visual safety alerts and toolbox talks. Show the reporter and the entire team that their input leads to real change.
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Conclusion: From reactive to proactive safety
For the South African construction industry to improve its safety record, we must move beyond merely investigating accidents. We must become proactive hunters of near misses. Every near miss reported is a failure in our defences that we have been lucky to see. By capturing and acting on these warnings, we are not just preventing minor incidents; we are building a vital barrier against the tragedies that affect too many of our sites and families. Let's commit to learning from these free lessons, ensuring that a miss today doesn't become a headline tomorrow.
Neil Enslin | Head: Occupational Health and Safety
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