A near miss is an unplanned event that could have caused injury, illness, or damage but did not produce that harm. Near misses provide opportunities to investigate contributing conditions and improve controls. In forklift operations, an avoided vehicle-pedestrian collision may be a near miss; a proximity alert alone does not establish that a near miss occurred.
The defining feature is the event’s potential for harm despite the absence of that harm. A forklift and pedestrian narrowly avoiding contact may warrant investigation even when no injury or damage is recorded.
A hazardous condition and a near miss are related but distinct. An obstructed crossing may create exposure before an interaction occurs; a near miss is an event that unfolds under particular circumstances.
Reports, video records, and detection data can help establish the sequence and contributing conditions. Classification should consider the evidence and potential consequence, rather than treating every alert as a near miss or assuming all near misses carry equal severity.