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What Is an Incident Report?

An incident report is a detailed document which informs any occurrence that happened that have or might have caused any harm or damage to an employee, student, or to a company asset.

How to Create an Incident Report?

how to create an incident report

The process of creating an incident report is very critical whether an accident has happened or not, most especially if an injury took place or anything that required drastic medical attention. Such a document can be of great assistance in investigations, as it describes the set of events that happened in detail, the causes of the incident, and possibly the corrective action plans that should be done. An effective report can be a great criterion to assess your company or establishment's safety program. Here are the necessary steps that should be taken when writing an effective incident report.

1. Provide the Basic Information

Fill in the incident report form with the basic information of everyone who was involved. Write down the complete names of the people who were at the scene, of the supervisors, and of the witnesses along with their job position, and department. You must also specify the exact date, time, and location where the incident took place. These pieces of information are the most vital as they establish the truth to the story.

2. Describe the Incident in a First-Person Narrative

Write a progressive narrative of what happened and write it in the first-person narrative. Writing in the first person is the caliber in writing reports as it makes the events more factual, and it makes the narrative easier to read and more clear. Identify all the people involved by stating their complete names the first time their name appears in the narrative. Specify the events that happened that led to the incident. Make sure your narrative answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions.

3. Mention Direct Quotes from the Witnesses

If there are any witnesses to the incident, make sure to include their account of the story in your narrative. Their statement are crucial as it helps in the completion of the case report and most importantly it plays an important role in the investigation. It is one of the elements that helps investigators come up with a formidable ground for a conclusion. Also, these statements help determine if there are any contradicting facts to each side of the story.

4. Identify Any Injuries and What Led to It

Your incident or accident report must include the type of injuries that were inflicted due to the accident. Specify the body part injured, and the extent of the injury. To maximize the status report, mention the types of treatments that were applied to the casualty. Another important factor to mention are the circumstances that led to the injury. Was it dark lighting? A slippery floor with no precautionary sign? Determining these conditions could act as a heads up to the management if there are any lapses to some physical settings on their behalf.

5. Include Graphic Evidence

Graphic evidence would include photos, diagrams, charts, and other types of illustrations. If there's any, attach them along with your incident report. If you are still in the location where the incident took place, capture as many photos as you can. These images can act as solid attestations to the narrative in the report.

6. Validate Your Incident Report

To complete your incident report, it is a top priority that you validate the document by getting the signatures of the people who are mentioned in the narrative. Doing so will help solidify that the report is well-founded and authentic. These would include the victim, the witnesses, the supervisors, and everybody else who are involved. Before submitting your incident report, make sure that the entire account is based on facts and truth. Hand over your report to the immediate head and make yourself available for further investigations.