What is an Incident Report?

An incident report is a tool that documents any event that may or may not have caused
injuries to a person or damage to a company asset. It is used to capture injuries and
accidents, near misses, property and equipment damage, health and safety issues,
security breaches and workplace misconduct.
An incident report can be used in the investigation and analysis of an event. It
includes the root cause and corrective actions to eliminate the risks involved and
prevent similar future occurrences. Incident reports can also be used as safety
documents which indicate potential risks and uncontrolled hazards found in the
workplace.
An incident report can be used by:
 an authority to create a report of an incident;
 an employee to report an incident he/ she has witnessed;
 a member of the organization to raise awareness about an incident that has
occurred in the workplace.
Incident reporting is the process of documenting all workplace injuries, near misses
and accidents. An incident report should be completed at the time an incident occurs
no matter how minor an injury is. This article covers an in-depth explanation of what
an incident report is and the types of events you should report.
What is Considered an Incident?
Generally, an incident is defined as any event, condition or situation which:
 Causes disruption or interference to an organization;
 Causes significant risks that could affect members within an organization;
 Impacts on the systems and operation of workplaces; and/ or
 Attracts negative media attention or a negative profile for the workplace
What Type of Incidents Should be Reported?
The rule of thumb is that as soon as an incident occurs, an incident report should be
completed. Minor injuries should be reported and taken as equally important as major
injuries are. These injuries may get worse and lead to more serious injuries or health
issues. Employers, managers and safety officials should be aware of the different
situations and events that should be reported.
Here are 4 types of incidents you should report:
1. Sentinel events – these are unexpected occurrences that resulted in serious
physical or psychological injury or death (e.g. slips, trips and falls, natural disasters,
vehicle accidents, disease outbreak, etc.).
2. Near misses – these are situations where the people involved had no injuries
but could have been potentially harmed by the risks detected.
3. Adverse events – related to medicine, vaccines and medical devices. These
events occur when an act of commission or omission harmed a patient rather than
from the existing disease or condition.
4. No harm events – these are incidents that need to be communicated across an
organization to raise awareness of any harm that may happen.
5 Elements of a Good Incident Report
An incident report should state all the essential information about the accident or
near-miss. It should contain the following key elements to ensure that all facts and
necessary details are complete and properly documented.
An incident report should be:
1. Accurate
All data must be clear and specific. Most inaccuracies are due to typos and simple
grammar and spelling errors (e.g. incorrect details of names of people involved, date
 and time of the incident, contact numbers, etc.). Provide more specific details of what
you are referring to and avoid any vague statements that may cause confusion. Lastly,
always proofread your report before submission to see errors that you might have
overlooked.
2. Factual
An incident report should be objective and supported by facts. Avoid including
emotional, opinionated and biased statements in the incident report. It should provide
both sides of the story and should not favor one side. However, if there’s a need to
include statements from witnesses or patients, make sure to quote them.
3. Complete
Ensure that all essential questions (what, where, when, why and how) are covered in
the incident report. Record not only the people who were injured and what caused the
accident to happen, but also include details such as people who witnessed and
reported the incident or those who will conduct an investigation. Anticipate what
other significant details will be needed for any future study and investigation.
4. Graphic
Photos, diagrams, and illustrations should be included as supporting evidence. Take
many photos of the injury, damage and surrounding environment. This supplements
the facts stated and provides more clarity to be easily understood by the recipient.
5. Valid
Upon completion, those who are involved in the incident (e.g. victim, witnesses,
manager, reporter, etc.) should sign off to testify and validate all the information that
was mentioned in the incident report. This confirms that the incident report is truthful
and unquestionable.
What to do After Completing an Incident Report?
The incident report should be submitted to an investigation team to further study and
look for deeper causes. An investigation should be conducted by those who are
competent in collecting and analyzing information and evidence gathered from the
incident report. Those conducting the investigation should be knowledgeable in
occupational health and safety fundamentals.
The purpose of investigating an incident is not to find fault but to determine the root
cause and develop corrective actions to prevent similar incidents from happening. An
investigation also helps fulfill regulatory requirements (such as OSHA 300 Forms in
the United States) and determines the costs involved with property or equipment
damage (if any).
Better Record Keeping of Incident Reports
Incident reports should be properly kept as they are an important record of every
organization. Creating incident reports can be time-consuming and requires rigorous
documentation of the incident. However, understanding the purpose of incident
reporting will help the organization determine the root cause of an incident and set
corrective measures to eliminate potential risks. iAuditor is the world’s #1 inspection
app and can be used to streamline the completion and record-keeping of incident
reports. With the iAuditor mobile app and web platform you can:
 Perform paperless incident reports on your hand-held device
 Take unlimited photo evidence attached to your incident reports
 Gather witness statements using auto-dictation
 Capture electronic signatures
 Generate detailed incident reports without leaving the site
 Unlimited secure cloud storage and easy record keeping of all incidents for
regulatory purposes