We’ve all heard the phrase “close call.” In reliability and safety, though, a near miss is more than that. It’s your system waving a red flag — and whether you catch it or ignore it can make all the difference.
Probably you've heard something like this - someone found a pressure relief valve jammed shut. Luckily, it was spotted during a routine check. Fixed. Logged. Moved on.
“Good catch,” someone said.
They were right — it was a good catch. But here’s the problem: luck isn’t a control measure.
That near miss wasn’t random. It was evidence of holes in our defenses that, on a different day, could have lined up and caused a serious incident.
The Swiss Cheese Model gives us a simple but powerful way to visualise system defenses.
Think of your organisation’s barriers as slices of Swiss Cheese:
Each slice is a layer of defense. Each hole is a weakness — a gap, a condition, or a failure waiting to align.
Near misses show you where the holes already are, without the cost of an actual incident.
The Swiss Cheese Model helps you see the problem.
Sologic RCA helps you solve it.
Near misses highlight vulnerabilities — but to actually close those holes, you need a structured, evidence-based approach. That’s where Sologic’s 5-Step RCA methodology comes in:
Capture the facts behind the near miss before they disappear.
Define exactly what happened and what was nearly lost. Clarity here is critical.
Build a Cause & Effect Chart that reveals how and why each barrier failed, and where the holes lined up.
Identify actions that address system weaknesses, not just surface symptoms.
Document, share, and track corrective actions to make sure the holes are truly closed.
By combining the Swiss Cheese Model with Sologic RCA, you move from just spotting weak layers to strengthening them permanently.
Too often, near misses are brushed aside. “No one got hurt.” “Nothing broke.” “We fixed it already.”
Sound familiar?
The trouble is, if we don’t analyse near misses with the same rigour as incidents, we’re effectively relying on luck to keep us safe.
Near misses are low-cost opportunities to uncover systemic weaknesses before they cause real harm. And when you apply structured RCA, you don’t just fix one layer — you improve the whole system.
Every near miss is a free preview of a future incident. The Swiss Cheese Model shows you the holes. Sologic RCA gives you the tools to close them.
If your team’s near misses aren’t being investigated properly, you’re missing one of the most valuable learning opportunities you’ll ever get.