Caution

Near Miss Report Form

There is no OSHA near-miss form and no duty to keep one. That is precisely why the form should be short — a near miss that takes ten minutes to report gets reported as nothing happened.

Stencil print of a wrench falling past a deck edge — A wrench falling past a deck edge with nobody below \u2014 the definition of a near miss.

There is no OSHA near-miss form \u2014 this is voluntary. That is exactly why it should be short: a form that takes ten minutes gets filed as nothing happened.

Caution

What happened

Report numberDate, time and exact locationrequiredWhat happened, in one or two sentencesrequiredWhat could have happenedrequiredThis line is the whole point of the form.Reported by (optional — anonymous reports are accepted)

Why it happened

Immediate causeContributing conditionsWas a control missing, or present and bypassed?required

What changes

Immediate action takenrequiredCorrective action, owner and due daterequiredShared with the crew at a toolbox talk (date)Note: a near miss is not recordable — nothing goes on the 300 log unless there is an injury or illness1904.7(a)

A near miss is not recordable

1904.7(a) makes a case recordable when it results in death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. No injury, no illness, no entry. A near miss never appears on the 300 log.

That is a feature, not a loophole. It means reporting a near miss costs the company nothing on its published rate, which is the only honest argument for asking a crew to report them.

Why this form is short

Reporting rate beats report quality every time. A programme that collects fifty thin reports finds more real hazards than one that collects three thorough ones, because the thin reports come from the people closest to the work.

Anonymous reporting accepted — the name field is optional.
"What could have happened" is the only mandatory analysis field.
One corrective action with an owner and a date, not a matrix.
A line for the toolbox talk where it was shared back.

Notice

The fastest way to kill near-miss reporting is to discipline someone for the thing they reported. The second fastest is to collect reports and never close one.

The duty that does apply

1926.20(b)(2) requires frequent and regular inspections of the job site, materials and equipment by competent persons. 1926.21(b)(2) requires the employer to instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. A near-miss programme is one credible way to show both — which is why the form has a field for the talk it fed.

Share the close call at the next talk using the toolbox talk template.

Sources, with the date each was read

29 CFR 1904.7 — General recording criteria (OSHA)read 2026-09-04
29 CFR 1926.20 — General safety and health provisions (OSHA)read 2026-09-04
29 CFR 1926.21 — Safety training and education (OSHA)read 2026-09-04