Glossary term
What is Near miss?
Short answer
A near miss is an event that could have hurt someone or damaged property but did not.
Near miss, explained for tree service owners
A limb that swings close to a worker, or a rope that slips but is caught in time, is a near miss. Crews that talk about near misses can fix the cause before someone is hurt. Make it safe to report them: never punish the person who speaks up. Write a line in a log with the date, what happened and what changed. Over months, the log shows patterns, like the same tool or the same time of day. It is one of the cheapest safety tools a small company has, and it costs only a notebook.
Related terms
- ANSI Z133
ANSI Z133 is the American national safety standard for tree care operations, such as climbing, rigging, chipping and working near power…
- Back cut
A back cut is the final cut made on the opposite side of the notch that frees the tree to fall, leaving the hinge intact.
- Chainsaw chaps
Chainsaw chaps are cut-resistant leg guards that clog a saw chain if it touches the leg, giving time to stop.
- Chipper feed rollers
Chipper feed rollers are the powered rollers at the chute that pull branches into the blades at a steady pace.
- Climbing spikes
Climbing spikes are sharp metal points strapped to a climber's boots that bite into the trunk, used mainly on trees being removed.
- Conventional notch
A conventional notch is a wedge cut with a flat bottom and a sloped top that guides a tree to fall in a set direction.
- Drop zone
A drop zone is the marked area on the ground where cut branches and wood are expected to fall, kept clear of people.
- Experience modification rate
An experience modification rate (EMR) is a number that raises or lowers your workers' comp cost based on your past claims compared with…
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