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How to write a near miss report

A tray of glasses nearly fell on a guest. A cook slipped on a wet floor but caught the counter. Nobody was hurt, so why write it down? Here's what counts as a near miss, examples from restaurants and hotels, and what the report needs.

For restaurant, café & hotel managers · 5 min read

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What is a near miss?

OSHA describes a near miss as an incident where no one was hurt and nothing was damaged, but where a slight shift in time or position could easily have caused injury or damage. Because nobody was hurt, it doesn't go on an OSHA injury log, but it's the cheapest warning you will ever get.

Today's near miss is tomorrow's injury report. Writing it down is how you fix the cause before someone gets hurt.

Near miss examples

  1. 1Wet floor.A cook slipped by the dish pit and caught the counter. No fall.
  2. 2Falling tray.A stack of glasses slid off a bus tub and missed a guest's table.
  3. 3Hot oil.A fryer basket hook broke and oil splashed the floor. Nobody was standing there.
  4. 4Runaway cart.A housekeeping cart rolled down the service ramp and stopped at the wall.
  5. 5Loose tile.A lifted tile on the pool deck tripped a guest, who didn't fall.
  6. 6Sparking outlet.An outlet behind the bar sparked and was unplugged before anyone touched it.

Near miss or incident? If someone was hurt or something was damaged, it's an incident report, not a near miss.

What to include

  1. 1When & where.Date, time and the exact spot: dish pit, service ramp, pool deck.
  2. 2What happened.Facts, in order. No blame.
  3. 3Who was involved.The person, or "no one".
  4. 4How bad it could have been.Low, high or critical.
  5. 5Why it happened.The cause you saw: leaking hose, no mat, brake off.
  6. 6What you did.The fix: mopped, sign out, ticket to maintenance.
  7. 7Witness.A name, or "no witness".

Example near miss report

Near miss report

EXAMPLE · NOT A REAL EMPLOYEE

When:
Saturday, Oct 17, 9:20 PM · Kitchen, dish pit
What happened:
Luis G. slipped on standing water by the dish pit and grabbed the counter. He did not fall.
Who was involved:
Luis G., Line Cook
How bad it could have been:
High — a fall onto the tile floor next to the dish machine.
Why it happened:
The dish machine drain hose leaks, and there is no mat in front of the dish pit.
What we did:
Floor mopped, wet-floor sign out, maintenance ticket for the hose, mat ordered.
Witness:
No witness.
Manager

Hotel version, same structure: "Room attendant, 2nd floor. The housekeeping cart rolled down the service ramp and stopped at the wall; the brake was not on. Cart brakes checked on every floor."

Mistakes that let it happen again

  • Not writing it because nobody was hurt.
  • Blaming the person instead of finding the cause.
  • No "what we did": the same hazard is still there tomorrow.
  • Waiting until the end of the week.
  • Punishing people for reporting, so they stop reporting.
  • Never checking that the fix was done.

Report it by voice, in a few minutes

Speak what happened on your phone. The app asks how bad it could have been, why it happened and what you did, then you sign and seal the report. No witness needed.

Try it — restaurantTry it — hotel

Questions managers ask

An incident where no one was hurt and nothing was damaged, but a slight shift in time or position could easily have caused injury or damage.

Not legal advice. Laws vary by state.