Laser Safety, 2nd Edition

12Near-Miss Incidents

Ken Barat

To many laser users, the concept of tracking near misses is so far from their conscientious it might as well not exist. This author has to say, outside of procedural violation records of laser near misses and any corrective actions from them are far and few between. In recent years, the near-miss tracking has become more real, but still just a twinkle in the eye of laser safety officers (LSOs). As a result, the tracking of near misses does have a concrete value.

Why Track Near Misses?

In simple words, they are a warning that should be taken to heart. They usually represent an unsafe condition or practice, that is, uncorrected can lead to a real injury. Few of these are reported, investigated, or have corrective ...