Which term describes an unplanned event with potential or actual harm?

• A. Incident
• B. Near-miss
• C. Accident
• D. Hazard

Answer: (B)

Think of this as classifying safety events by whether harm could happen or did happen. An incident is any unplanned event that interrupts work or has the potential to cause injury, illness, damage, or loss, and it can also be an event that actually causes harm. A near-miss is a specific kind of incident where harm did not occur, even though there was potential for it. A accident is an unplanned event that actually results in harm. A hazard is a dangerous condition or situation, not an event itself. So, for an unplanned event with potential or actual harm, the umbrella term is incident, because it covers both those with potential harm and those with actual harm. Near-miss would only fit the subset where no harm occurred.