Don't Miss This: How to Prepare as a Security Guard for Near Miss Day

Every March 23, National Near Miss Day commemorates the day the entire Earth faced a near miss when a massive asteroid nearly hit us in 1989. The asteroid, known as 4581 Asclepius, passed about 425,000 miles from Earth, missing us by roughly six hours. Named after the Greek god of medicine, it measured about 300 meters wide and, had it struck, would have released energy comparable to a 600-megaton bomb, capable of wiping out a large city.

Beyond its cosmic backstory, Near Miss Day carries a very practical message: close calls happen, and preparedness matters. For security professionals, it's the perfect occasion to sharpen your skills and reinforce a safety-first mindset.

Understand the Spirit of the Day

Near Miss Day isn't just about asteroids, it's about reflection and readiness. The holiday serves as a reminder to review and update safety plans, whether at home or in the workplace, and to take necessary precautions to prevent potential near misses in the future. As a security guard, that message lands squarely in your professional wheelhouse.

Conduct a Near-Miss Review at Your Post

Use the day as a prompt to revisit any recent incidents at your facility that almost went wrong; a door left propped open, a visitor who bypassed check-in, a blind spot in your camera coverage. Document these close calls and discuss them with your supervisor or team. In security, a near miss is a gift: it tells you where the gaps are before something serious happens.

Refresh Your Emergency Protocols

Walk your entire post with fresh eyes. Verify that fire exits are clear, emergency contact lists are current, first aid kits are stocked, and communication devices are fully charged and functional. Near Miss Day is an ideal annual checkpoint for these basics that can be easy to overlook during routine shifts.

Run a Quick Tabletop Scenario

If your team has time, use Near Miss Day to run a short what-if exercise. Pick a realistic scenario; an unauthorized individual in a restricted area, a medical event, a vehicle incident near the entrance and talk through how each person would respond. Organizing a safety workshop to educate others on recognizing and preventing near misses doesn't have to be elaborate; even a ten-minute debrief builds muscle memory and team cohesion.

Stay Alert to Complacency

The biggest threat on any quiet shift isn't the dramatic incident, it's the gradual drift toward routine inattention. Near Miss Day is a reminder that danger often announces itself only in hindsight. Stay present, vary your patrol patterns, and resist the urge to assume that because nothing has gone wrong recently, nothing will.

Near Miss Day is observed on March 23 every year, fittingly, a reminder that staying safe is never just luck. Whether it's an asteroid or an unlocked side entrance, the lesson is the same: the near miss you catch today is the crisis you prevent tomorrow.