In LPWS, what best defines a near miss?

• A. An incident that caused harm
• B. An incident that could have caused harm but did not
• C. An accident with no injuries
• D. A hazard observation

Answer: (B)

A near miss is a close call—an event where harm could have occurred but didn’t. It captures the idea that a hazard was present and almost caused damage or injury, but safeguards or luck prevented it from materializing. This is why describing it as an incident that could have caused harm but did not best fits.

An incident that caused harm describes harm that did occur, not a near miss. A hazard observation is about noticing a potential danger, not an event where harm was narrowly avoided. An accident with no injuries implies something happened, but it isn’t framed as a near miss since it didn’t involve a near-occurred harm scenario.