Free near miss investigation form
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Last updated: 2026-04-24 · MapTrack
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What is a near miss investigation form?
A near miss investigation form is a structured document used to investigate and analyse a near miss event after the initial report has been captured. MapTrack helps safety teams digitise the full investigation workflow so every near miss is tracked from report through root-cause analysis to corrective action close-out. This form is distinct from a near miss report form which captures the initial observation. The investigation form covers the detailed analysis that follows including investigation methodology contributing factors corrective actions escalation requirements and formal close-out.
Under the Australian WHS Act a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has a duty to identify hazards and manage risks. Investigating near misses is a critical part of that obligation because a near miss is an unplanned event that could have resulted in injury illness or damage. The WHS Act also requires PCBUs to investigate notifiable incidents and report them to the regulator. This template supports the internal investigation process but is not a substitute for a notifiable incident report to the relevant state or territory WHS regulator.
Benefits
- Thorough analysis: structured investigation methodology such as 5 Whys and bow-tie analysis ensures root causes are identified rather than surface symptoms
- Legal compliance: documented investigation records demonstrate the PCBU has met their WHS Act duty to identify hazards and manage risks
- Prevention: identifying contributing factors and implementing corrective actions prevents the near miss from recurring as an actual incident
- Accountability: assigning corrective actions with responsible persons and due dates creates clear ownership of follow-up
- Consistency: every near miss investigation follows the same structured process regardless of who leads it
- Audit trail: a signed investigation record provides evidence for regulator enquiries insurer reviews and internal safety audits
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your reports from paper to MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
- Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
- Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.
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What to include in a near miss investigation
- Event summary: restate the near miss event including date time location task being performed and people involved
- Investigation team: record the names and roles of everyone participating in the investigation
- Timeline reconstruction: map the sequence of events leading up to the near miss including decisions actions and conditions
- Root-cause analysis: apply a structured method such as 5 Whys or bow-tie analysis to identify underlying causes
- Contributing factors: identify organisational procedural environmental and human factors that contributed to the event
- Risk assessment: assess the potential severity and likelihood had the event resulted in harm using a risk matrix
- Corrective actions: document each corrective action with a description responsible person due date and priority
- Escalation and close-out: record whether the event is notifiable to the regulator and formally close the investigation once all actions are verified complete
How to complete a near miss investigation
- Gather initial information: obtain the original near miss report and collect statements from witnesses and the people directly involved
- Assemble the investigation team: bring together the supervisor safety representative and any subject matter experts relevant to the task or equipment involved
- Reconstruct the timeline: walk through the sequence of events with the people involved and map out what happened from the start of the task through to the near miss event
- Conduct root-cause analysis: use the 5 Whys method or a bow-tie diagram to trace the event back from the immediate cause through contributing factors to the root cause
- Assess contributing factors: consider whether procedures training equipment maintenance supervision communication or environmental conditions contributed to the event
- Develop corrective actions: for each root cause and contributing factor define a specific corrective action assign a responsible person and set a due date
- Close out and verify: once all corrective actions have been implemented verify their effectiveness and formally close the investigation with sign-off from the investigation lead
How often should near miss investigations be conducted?
A near miss investigation should be conducted every time a near miss is reported. There is no fixed schedule because investigations are event-driven. The investigation should begin as soon as practicable after the initial near miss report is submitted, ideally within 24 to 48 hours while the details are still fresh.
Under the WHS Act the PCBU must ensure that hazards are identified and risks are managed so far as is reasonably practicable. Investigating near misses is a proactive step in that process. Organisations with strong safety cultures typically investigate all reported near misses regardless of perceived severity because patterns in minor events often reveal systemic risks that could lead to serious incidents.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a near miss report and a near miss investigation?
- A near miss report is the initial capture of the event. It records what happened, where, when and who was involved. A near miss investigation is the follow-up analysis that determines why the event occurred, identifies root causes and contributing factors, and defines corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
- What root-cause analysis methods should be used?
- The 5 Whys method is the simplest and most commonly used technique. It involves asking why repeatedly until the root cause is reached. Bow-tie analysis is useful for more complex events as it maps both the causes leading to the event and the consequences that were prevented by existing controls.
- Does the WHS Act require near miss investigations?
- The WHS Act requires PCBUs to identify hazards and manage risks so far as is reasonably practicable. While the Act does not prescribe a specific investigation process for every near miss, investigating near misses is widely recognised as a core element of meeting that duty. Notifiable incidents must be reported to the regulator and investigated.
- Is the template free to use without MapTrack?
- Yes. Download and use the near miss investigation form for free. Open the file and use your browser Print to Save as PDF. No MapTrack account required.
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