Incidents and accidents happen in workplaces; this is just a fact of our world. Unfortunately, some workplace incidents and accidents hurt people and damage things. In other cases, people fall ill or suffer from a medical condition because of workplace conditions. A report must be written to document what occurred when these events happened. This is called a workplace incident report.
What Is a Workplace Incident Report?
A workplace incident report is a form used to capture and report incidents that cause injury on a job. Injuries, illnesses, and other mishaps at work are all considered incidents.
Workplace incident reports are used to eliminate future occurrences of the same type of incident by documenting what occurred, who was involved, and what may have caused the incident. The information in the report can be helpful in court and for insurance purposes. It can also teach a company how to avoid the same kind of accident in the future.
For completeness and accuracy, filling out an incident report at work as soon as possible after an event occurs is best. Management should read the report to avoid repeat incidents and fix any uncovered safety flaws or risks.
What To Include in a Workplace Incident Report
A workplace incident report should generally include the following:
- The incident date, time, and location
- A description of what happened
- The names and contact information for any witnesses
- The names of those involved, including any injured people
- The severity of any injuries or damages
- Any potential causes or contributing factors
- The actions taken in the wake of the incident, such as medical treatments or corrective measures
How to Report a Workplace Incident
You must immediately notify your manager or employer if you’re engaged in or witness a workplace incident. Reporting an incident at work is often required for insurance or legal purposes. To report an incident at work, follow these steps:
- Share details of what happened quickly with your direct manager or supervisor. Describe the situation and the people involved.
- If someone is hurt or needs assistance, make sure they get help by calling 911 or taking them to a medical facility.
- File a report of what happened. Details of the occurrence should be recorded in report form. The date, time, location, people involved, and eyewitnesses should all be included. Be honest, and provide as much background information as possible about what transpired.
Under certain conditions, the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that businesses report occupational injuries and accidents. Employers must report work-related deaths within eight hours and work-related hospitalizations, amputations, and sight losses within 24 hours. Hospitalization for specific treatment — not an observation or diagnostic testing — triggers an obligation for OSHA reporting. The following details need to be included in an OSHA report: To report the incident to OSHA, call your local OSHA office or the OSHA 24-hour hotline (at 1-800-321-OSHA), or use the online incident report form on the OSHA website. To avoid fines and safeguard workers’ well-being, businesses must follow OSHA’s reporting requirements. Injuries and illnesses occurring on a job need to be documented by employers using OSHA Form 300. If your company has more than ten workers, the law requires that you keep these records and display a summary of the previous year’s injuries and illnesses in a conspicuous area of your office each year.
- After submitting an incident report, you must check in with your manager or supervisor to ensure the proper steps are followed. Add any essential details or explanations to your report as necessary.
- If your company has an incident prevention strategy, you should assess whether it needs to be updated based on the recent occurrence. Remember that reporting any workplace incident is critical for preventing future events of the same incident, no matter how unimportant they may seem.
How To Write a Workplace Incident Report
The purpose of writing an incident report is to capture an accurate account of an event that took place at your job. Follow these steps when writing yours:
Step 1 – Include Important Details
Record the time, day, and location of the event. You should explain what took place and who was involved. Describe what happened, how it happened, and how any possible preexisting conditions contributed to the incident. Use complete sentences, and make sure you describe everyone who was involved in the event as well as any witnesses who were there.
Step 2 – Record Outcomes
If there are any specific outcomes from the event, capture as much information as possible regarding the types and degrees of injuries and property damage.
Step 3 – Determine Underlying Factors If Possible
If you do a thorough investigation, you may be able to determine the event’s underlying causes. This information can help identify whether or not procedures can be changed or enhanced in the future to avoid similar incidents.
Try to offer ideas for procedure modifications based on the results of your investigation. This can include retraining, changing processes, or purchasing new devices to replace older equipment or parts that have become obsolete.
Step 4 – Include a Summary
Provide a summary of the incident and repeat the most important details, including the time, place, and individuals who were involved, as well as possible suggestions for improvements that can be undertaken.
Before submitting your incident report, read it several times to verify that it’s error-free, well-organized, and easy to understand.
Step 5 – Make It Timely and Objective
Remember that incident reports must be written as early as possible after an event occurs to guarantee maximum accuracy in the incident documentation. Your narrative of the circumstances must be factual as well as impartial. Rather than assigning blame, you should record only the facts about what happened.
Sample Workplace Incident Report
Here’s a template for a workplace incident report that you can use for your workplace:
