Near miss reporting: Working in and around moving vehicles
Firstly - what is a near miss?
For Fire and Emergency, a near miss is an unplanned event which offers an opportunity to improve how we protect our people and the public. This may include:
- Any event which may have resulted in harm
- Any event resulting in equipment/fleet/property damage
Reporting a near miss can save a life!
One way of reducing the number of incidents and accidents is by increasing near miss reporting through Safe@Work.
We have been raising awareness on near misses this year. So far, we have covered working at heights; working in and around fire and explosive materials; and working around water.
This quarter, we are taking the opportunity to identify what we can learn from previous near miss reports to increase awareness and safety measures when working in and around moving vehicles.
Over the past year, there have been 233 near miss events involving working in and around moving vehicles reported in Safe@Work. Most of these events happened when travelling to, or from, an incident or call out.
Working in and around moving vehicles remains the highest near miss event linked to a critical risk for our people and this is a consistent trend across the past four years.
Some of the risks highlighted in the reports include:
- motorists on the road not pulling over for emergency vehicles
- motorists not following traffic management set up at motor vehicle crash incidents
- poor driving behaviour from motorists
- unsecured equipment falling from Fire and Emergency vehicles while driving
Recording near miss incidents allows us to look for trends and to improve our processes and procedures. This helps minimise or eliminate incidents recurring, which keeps our people safer.
Example of a near miss involving working in and around moving vehicles
Recently a report was made in Safe@Work where an appliance was returning to station from a fire call. As the appliance was turning left into the station driveway, it struck a passenger car that was attempting to underpass the appliance on the inside, apparently unaware the appliance was turning into station. This is a near miss because under slightly different circumstances someone could have been seriously injured and there was damage to fleet and the passenger car.
- Situations can change very rapidly, and procedures are in place to manage the dynamic risks.
- Always follow your training and standard operating procedures, no matter how routine or familiar a response appears to be.
- At all times remember to apply the Safe Person Concept and Dynamic Risk Assessments(external link). Review these regularly and incorporate them into all your drill and exercise scenarios.
- Use our organisational values and behaviours to inform decisions. We do the right thing – Kia Tika. We strive to improve – Auahatanga. Learn from previous incidents through continuous improvement.
What you can do
Driver of the appliance/vehicle
- Always walk around your vehicle before you get in yourself.
- Check doors and lockers are closed properly, and equipment is stowed correctly and securely.
- If you are negotiating a difficult access way or tight space, consider using a guide.
- When reversing the vehicle always have at least one guide in a position near the rear of the vehicle where they can see any hazards or obstacles, and make sure they are in sight of and can communicate with the driver at all times during the manoeuvre. (Refer to the Appliance Reversing Guide Poster on Portal)
- Ask a crew member to guide you and plan with them so as you both have a clear understanding of what is to happen.
- If you are single crewed – check behind your vehicle for hazards or obstacles before starting the reversing manoeuvre.
- Report all near-misses in Safe@Work.
Crew Members
- Check doors and lockers are closed properly, and equipment is stowed correctly and securely on your side of the vehicle before you get in.
- Make yourself available to the driver to act as guide when required.
- When guiding, always position yourself clear of the vehicle where you can safely see the direction of travel and any hazards or obstacles.
- Ensure you are wearing approved safety reflective clothing
- Be aware of other traffic and ensure you can see and react to oncoming traffic when you are guiding – use a torch at night.
- Give clear directions to the driver by voice or hand signals – refer to the Appliance Reversing Guide Poster for the correct way to do this.
- Report all near-misses in Safe@Work.
Remember
- We all have a responsibility to look after our own, and our colleagues’ safety and health – if you see something, say something.
- Use the Safe Person Concept and Dynamic Risk Assessments.
- Walk the talk at all times - proactively demonstrate our organisational values and code of behaviour.
To log any Safety, Health or Wellbeing incident, please access Safe@Work(external link). If you need help on how to log an incident, refer to the ‘How to report workplace safety, health and wellbeing’ page, or contact your Regional Safety, Health and Wellbeing Advisor.
Resources:
How do I Report a workplace safety, health or wellbeing event
Appliance Reversing Guide Poster