A close call is an “almost-accident” — if circumstances were slightly different, someone could have been injured or something could have been damaged.
If someone was injured or another significant safety event actually happened (fire, chemical spill, serious property damage), report it as an incident.
Please report close calls via email. Learning from close calls helps prevent actual incidents. Close call reports go only to the Laboratory Safety Advocate, not to the Department of Health, Safety, and Environment. When you report a close call, an investigator, probably the Lab Safety Advocate or a laboratory safety captain from your department, may contact you for further details and to discuss lessons learned for the campus community. Public descriptions of the close call will be discreet: no details such as exact locations will be given unless they are essential to understanding the lessons to be learned.
Your cooperation is appreciated. There is no penalty for reporting a close call.