Tradies and Near Misses

Let’s be straight.

Most tradie’s has dealt with that safety person — the one who slows the job down, talks in jargon, and has never swung a hammer. No wonder health and safety gets a bad rap on site.

But here’s the reality under New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA):

Safety isn’t the enemy. Bad safety is.

What’s a Near Miss? (No Jargon)

A near miss is when something almost causes harm — but doesn’t.

Think:

• A ladder slips but no one falls

• A load shifts on a truck

• A power tool fails without injury

Most near misses get ignored. That’s a mistake.

Why Near Misses Are Golden Tickets

We say near misses are golden tickets because they let you fix problems before someone gets hurt or WorkSafe gets involved.

Handled properly, near misses help you:

• Prevent serious injuries and fatalities

• Meet your HSWA duties as a PCBU

• Improve how work is done on site

• Protect your business if something goes wrong

• Show builders and clients you’re switched on

They’re free warnings — and smart tradies use them.

The Real Reason Near Misses Don’t Get Reported

Tradies don’t stay quiet because they don’t care. They stay quiet because they expect:

• Blame

• Overreaction

• Job delays

• More paperwork

That’s not good safety culture — and it doesn’t help anyone.

Good Safety Keeps the Job Moving

Good health and safety in NZ should be:

• Practical and trade-specific

• Easy to use on site

• Focused on fixing risks, not blaming people

• Compliant without killing productivity

Near miss reporting should take minutes and lead to simple, real-world fixes.

We’re Not That Safety Company

At On To It Health and Safety, we help NZ tradies meet health and safety requirements without becoming clipboard warriors.

We keep it:

• Plain English

• Practical

• Site-ready

• Built for how tradies actually work

No fluff. No templates that don’t fit.