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A near miss is an event or situation that didn’t cause harm but had the potential to cause injury or ill health. Reporting near misses helps the University of Sussex identify hazards, spot trends and take action before someone is hurt.  

Here are some examples of near missed that could happen here at the University:

• Slip or trip: a member of staff trips over a loose cable in a teaching room but manages to steady themselves and is not injured.
• Falling object: a box falls from a high shelf in an office or storeroom, narrowly missing someone below.
• Vehicle/pedestrian: a university vehicle or delivery van reverses in a campus area and almost hits a pedestrian or cyclist, but stops in time. 

If you experience or witness a near miss: 

• Report it through Sussex Direct using the incident reporting system.
• Provide a brief description of what happened, where and when, including any relevant information about the potential risk.
• If you do not have access to Sussex Direct, you can use the web form provided on the incident reporting webpage. 

It only takes a few minutes, and your report could help prevent a future injury. 

Find out more and report an incident or near miss