Closing the Safety Gap: Capturing Near Misses Before They Become Incidents

Near misses happen every day in electrical work, and most never make it onto a report. Whether it’s a brush with an energized conductor or a close call with a mislabeled panel, these incidents often go undocumented. The problem? Every unreported near miss is a missed opportunity to prevent the next injury or worse.

In this post, we’ll explore why near misses often go unreported, how that silence keeps organizations vulnerable, and how modern safety tools like wearable voltage detection can help change that dynamic.

The Reality: Why Near Misses Go Unreported

Several barriers prevent crews from documenting near misses:

• Fear of Blame: Workers often worry that reporting will lead to disciplinary action or make them look careless even when the risk wasn’t their fault.
• Normalization of Risk: In high-voltage environments, close calls can feel “routine,” so crews often don’t see the need to report them.
• Time Pressure: With schedules to meet and downtime to avoid, filling out forms or notifying a supervisor often falls to the bottom of the list.
• No Immediate Harm: If no one was injured, it’s easy for teams to move on and forget the incident until the next time.

The result? Organizations lack the data needed to identify trends, address hazards, or improve procedures.

Why Near Miss Data Matters

Documented near misses are powerful. They can:

• Reveal hidden hazards like mislabeled circuits or faulty isolation procedures.
• Provide better training, targeting the risks teams face most often.
• Provide evidence of safety improvements for stakeholders, insurers, or compliance audits.
• Prevent repeat incidents because the same conditions that lead to a near miss can lead to a fatality the next time.

The challenge is building a system where reporting isn’t just encouraged but becomes automatic.

How Proxxi Turns Near Misses Into Actionable Insights

Proxxi Band, a wearable voltage detector, doesn’t just alert team members to hidden energized equipment in real time; it also logs every alert as a near miss in a secure, cloud-based dashboard.

Here’s how it helps close the gap:

• Automatic Data Capture – Alerts are logged instantly, with no manual reporting needed.
• Identifies High-Risk Zones – Trends reveal hotspots where energized equipment is frequently encountered.
• Improves Training – Data highlights common patterns and helps safety managers tailor instruction where it’s needed most.
• Builds a Culture of Transparency – Workers see near-miss data used constructively, not punitively, encouraging consistent adoption.

By making near-miss documentation effortless, Proxxi transforms what was once anecdotal and inconsistent into a reliable, actionable data stream that drives safer outcomes.

Building a Safer, Smarter Culture

Changing how your team views near misses starts with three key steps:

1. Remove Fear: Make it clear that near-miss data is for learning, not blame.
2. Make It Easy: Automate or simplify reporting wherever possible.
3. Act on the Data: Show your team that reporting leads to real improvements—better training, safer procedures, and fewer risks in the field.

With wearable voltage detection, you not only protect your team in real time but also unlock the insights you need to stop repeating the same dangerous patterns.

Ready to Bridge the Gap?

Every unreported near miss is a story untold and a risk unaddressed. Proxxi helps you capture those stories and turn them into actionable safety insights, all while protecting your crew in the moment.

🔗 Speak with an expert today to learn how you can integrate wearable voltage detection into your safety program.