What Almost Happened: Using Near Misses to Spot Psychological Hazards at Work

Elizabeth Eldridge
Apr 29
5 min read

In the world of physical safety, we take near misses seriously. If a box falls off a shelf and narrowly misses hitting someone, we don’t just wipe our brow and move on. We investigate, identify root causes and take corrective action to prevent future incidents. We know that if we don’t act, it's only a matter of time before someone does get hurt. Near misses provide us with an opportunity to identify and mitigate future risks.

But when it comes to psychological safety (the emotional, cognitive and social well-being of employees) near misses are often ignored.

The tension that simmers under the surface in meetings
The sarcastic comment that stings but gets brushed off as a joke
The moment someone almost quits, almost speaks up, almost breaks down

We don’t always recognize these moments for what they are: warning signs. What if we changed that? What if we treated psychological near misses with the same urgency, curiosity and action that we apply to physical safety incidents?

What Counts as a Psychological Near Miss?

A psychological near miss is an almost event: a moment where harm could have occurred but was narrowly avoided, either because someone de-escalated it, suppressed it or luck intervened.

Examples include:

An employee nearly breaking down in frustration after repeated unreasonable deadlines
A team leader nearly making a cutting, inappropriate comment during a stressful meeting
A peer’s offhand remark that almost triggered a major conflict between colleagues
A new hire feeling too intimidated to ask for help, almost leading to a major error

The common thread? These moments don’t result in immediate, visible harm, but they point to underlying vulnerabilities — vulnerabilities that, if left unaddressed, can evolve into stress, burnout, disengagement, conflict or even psychological injury. (P.S. Want to learn more about psychological injuries? Read my last blog post on that topic HERE.)

Why We Need to Treat Psychological Near Misses Seriously

In physical safety, we understand that a near miss today could easily become a serious injury tomorrow. The same logic applies to psychological safety.

Ignoring near misses leads to:

A normalization of poor behaviour ("That’s just how it is around here.")
Growing tension and resentment
A slow erosion of trust
Higher rates of turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism
A toxic culture where people feel unsafe to speak up or be themselves

On the other hand, treating psychological near misses as teachable moments fosters a culture where people feel:

Heard
Valued
Supported
Empowered to take ownership for creating a safe environment for everyone

And here’s the thing: the consequences of ignored near misses don’t trickle in slowly forever. At some point, they reach a tipping point. Suddenly, leadership teams are blindsided by:

Waves of resignations without much warning
Top performers walking away because they're burned out or disillusioned
Widespread resentment and distrust that damages collaboration
Brand reputation hits when former employees publicly criticize the organization
Recruitment struggles because word spreads that the workplace is unsafe or toxic

It’s not usually the result of one catastrophic event. It’s the result of a thousand ignored near misses; cracked that were there all along but not taken seriously. In other words, the psychosocial version of “death by a thousand cuts”.

How to Respond to Psychological Near Misses

Just like physical near misses, psychological ones deserve thoughtful, non-punitive investigation focused on prevention, not blame.

Here’s how you can start:

1. Notice the Signs

Be on the lookout for the subtle indicators:

A change in tone, energy or engagement after a difficult conversation
Non-verbal cues like closed body language, sighs or awkward silences
Patterns of miscommunication, avoidance or conflict

If something feels “off,” treat it like a flashing yellow light — not something to speed past, but something to slow down and explore.

2. Create Psychological Debrief Spaces

Just like physical safety debriefs after an incident, make space for reflection and dialogue about emotional and relational experiences at work.

Ask questions like:

"Did anything happen this week that didn’t sit right with you?"
"Were there any moments where things felt tense or uncomfortable?"
"Are there any changes we could make to improve how we interact as a team?"

Normalize talking about tough moments. Normalize learning from them.

3. Train Leaders to Spot and Respond to Near Misses

Managers and supervisors play a critical role in psychological safety. They need training not only to recognize signs of brewing psychological hazards but also to know how to respond supportively.

This includes:

Listening without judgment
Validating employees' experiences
Asking open-ended questions
Following up to ensure concerns aren’t swept under the rug

Supervisors are your early-warning system. Equip them to see and act on the signals.

4. Build a System for Reporting Psychological Hazards

In physical safety, we encourage employees to report hazards without fear of blame or punishment. Psychological safety needs the same approach.

You might:

Add psychological hazard reporting into existing incident forms
Create a simple, anonymous way for employees to flag concerns
Regularly review psychological hazard reports at the leadership level, just like you do for physical hazards

Case Study Example: A Near Miss That Made a Difference

At one company I worked with, an employee came very close to quitting after being publicly criticized in a meeting. Instead of dismissing it as "no harm, no foul" because they didn’t actually resign, the company’s leadership treated it as a near miss.

They debriefed with the employee, found out there was a pretty widespread fear of public humiliation across much of this person’s team and realized that their meeting culture unintentionally encouraged shaming rather than coaching.

As a result, they:

Trained managers in constructive feedback techniques
Redesigned team meetings to focus on learning rather than blame
Opened more informal channels for raising concerns privately

That employee stayed. And the ripple effect across the team was profound: higher trust, better collaboration and fewer resignations the following year.

All because they took an almost seriously.

Near Misses Are Early Warnings (and Gifts!)

Psychological near misses are like small cracks in a dam.

At first, they seem harmless. Easy to ignore. But if we don’t notice and act, the pressure builds… and eventually, the whole system can fail.

When we treat psychological near misses as valuable data points, we have the chance to:

Protect well-being before harm is done
Strengthen trust and emotional safety
Build a culture where people feel truly secure to bring their full selves to work

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being proactive.

Near misses aren’t failures. They’re opportunities.

Let’s start paying attention.

Elizabeth Eldridge is a Psychological Health & Safety Consultant based in southern New Brunswick, Canada. In addition to keynote speaking and corporate training on mental health in the workplace, she supports organizations across the country on the adoption of Canada's best practice guidelines on psychological health and safety management. She is the Founder & President of Arpeggio Health Services which provides standardized education programs like Mental Health First Aid, The Working Mind, QPR Suicide Prevention and more.