Near-Miss and Hazard Vocabulary for Manufacturing Workers

Not every workplace accident actually happens — sometimes it's a "near miss." But a near-miss situation is still worth reporting, because it can prevent a real accident later. This vocabulary covers the terms for describing hazards and near-miss events.

Basic Terms

• near miss — an event that almost caused an injury, but didn't.
• hazard — something with the potential to cause injury.
• unsafe
• risk
• incident — a general term for any unwanted event, big or small.

Example: "That was a near miss — the forklift almost hit him."

Signs and Warnings

• warning sign
• caution — often written on yellow signage.
• danger — usually indicates a more serious level of warning than "caution."

Hazardous Floor Conditions

• slip
• trip
• fall
• spill — spilled liquid that can cause someone to slip.

Example: "There's a spill on the floor — it's a slip hazard."

Try the Quiz

Reporting a hazard early can prevent a real accident. Try the short quiz below to check what stuck.