Assessment of Near Miss Incident Management System in Kenya Pipeline Company Limited

Abstract

Near miss incident management systems have been developed and are implemented across a range of industries including the chemical/process, airline and rail, nuclear and medical disciplines. At the root of every incident, fatal or otherwise is a near miss that was ignored and not prevented. Near miss incidents often precede loss producing events but are largely ignored because nothing (no injury, damage or loss) happened. Employees may not be enlightened to report these close calls as there has been no disruption or loss in the form of injuries or property damage. Near miss incidences are often ignored by most stakeholders in the workplace and yet every major or fatal accident or incident originates from a near miss that was not prevented or controlled. This may lead to accidents which could impact negatively on KPC by denting its image globally, reducing customer confidence and exposure to litigations leading to colossal financial losses for KPC due to compensation of injured and also high premiums for insurance.Management of near miss incidences is directly proportional to the prevention of major incidences and accidents and therefore goes a long way to eliminate or minimize work place hazards and guarantee the safety of the workers with a direct bearing on the overall safety performance of the organization. In the oil industry, incident assessment is key to its very survival and profitability. The main objective of this study was to assess the near miss incident management system in KPC. The study was to establish how the NMIMS directly or indirectly affects the workplace safety of the organization. The study was done at the Kenya Pipeline Company Limited depots at Kipevu, Changamwe, Moi International Airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu. For this descriptive study, a non –probability sampling method was used to select a representative sample of the target population. Data collection in this research was through the use of structured questionnaires designed by the researcher. Questionnaires were distributed among the workers. Research gathering instruments such as structured questionnaires, structured interviews and document reviews were used. Analysis of the data collected was done using the statistical program for social sciences (SPSS). The independent variables included the near miss incident management system establishment and implementation, management commitment, workers competence in near miss incident management system implementation, while the dependent variable was effective workplace safety in KPC. The study found that Near Miss Incident Management System leads to an effective workplace safety. It also established that an effective near miss incident Management system implementation is determined by the tone at the top (Management commitment) which needed improvement. It was hereby recommended that KPC should establish, implement and maintain a near miss incident management system which shall be a determinant to an effective workplace safety. Top Management commitment in KPC could be improved by the availing of resources for the establishment, implementation and maintenance of a Near Miss Incident Management System (NMIMS). As a long term measure, there is need to establish an integrated management system in KPC as a best practice. Resources should also be availed by the top management to ensure training and awareness creation of all workers at all levels on Near Miss Incident Management System (NMIMS).