2. Identify the purpose for
writing an incident report
Exploit guidelines for
incident reports
Write an organized
incident report
Use appropriate language
for writing incident
reports.
Learning Objectives
3. ● Reports serve as a permanent record of incidents, events, problems, and so
forth.
● An incident report needs to include all the essential information about the
accident.
● Incident Reporting is the process of capturing, recording and managing an
incident that occurs such as an injury, property damage, or security incident.
● The report-writing process begins with fact-finding and ends with
recommendations for preventing future accidents.
4. The purpose of an incident report
is:
Its primary purpose is to uncover the circumstances
and conditions that led to the event in order to prevent
future incidents.
to state the cause of the problem along with corrective
actions that can be taken to minimize the risk of a
future occurrence.
be used as safety documents, outlining potential
safety hazards around the workplace.
5. Why to Create Incident Report:
It creates awareness about future hazards and mitigates the risks.
.
It reminds everyone that safety measure is an extremely serious matter.
You can find out what areas need to be fixed and changed in your
organization
6. How to write an Incident Report: (Steps)
Step 1. Respond Quickly
Step 2. Gatherthe Facts
Step 3. Put all the Data Together
Step 4. Analyze All the Information
Step 5. Establish a Preventative Action Plan
7. Date, time, and specific location of the
incident.
Names, job titles, and departments of
employees involved and immediate
supervisors.
Names and accounts of witnesses.
Events leading up to the incident.
Specifically what the employee was doing
at the moment of the accident
4 Steps for Writing an Effective Incident Report
8. Find the Facts
To prepare for writing an accident report, you have to
gather and record all the facts. For example:
Date, time, and specific location of the incident
Names, job titles, and department of employees involved and
immediate supervisor(s)
Names and accounts of witnesses
Events leading up to the incident
Exactly what employee was doing at the moment of the
accident
Environmental conditions (e.g. slippery floor, inadequate
lighting, noise, etc.)
Circumstances (including tasks, equipment, tools, materials,
etc.)
Specific injuries (including part(s) of body injured and nature
and extent of injuries)
Type of treatment for injuries
Damage to equipment, materials, etc.
9. Determine the Sequence
Based on the facts, you should be able to determine the
sequence of events. In your report, describe this sequence in
detail, including:
● Events leading up to the incident.
● Events involved in the incident.
● Events immediately following the incident.
The incident should be described in the report in sufficient
detail so that any reader can clearly picture what happened.
10. Analyze
Your report should include an in-depth analysis of the causes of the
accident. Causes include:
● Primary cause (e.g., a spill on the floor that caused a slip and fall)
● Secondary causes (e.g., the employee not wearing appropriate
work shoes or carrying a stack of material that blocked vision)
● Other contributing factors (e.g., the burned-out light bulb in the
area).
11. Recommend
Recommendations for corrective action might include immediate corrective
action as well as long-term corrective actions such as:
● Employee training on safe work practices
● Preventive maintenance activities that keep equipment in good
operating condition
● Evaluation of job procedures with a recommendation for changes
● Conducting a job hazard analysis to evaluate the task for any other
hazards and then train employees on these hazards
● Engineering changes that make the task safer or administrative changes
that might include changing the way the task is performed
12. Common Problems with Incident Reports
Characteristics of report writing
● Confusing to someone who wasn't there (report
doesn't paint a clear picture)
● Thoughts not presented in an organized manner
● Not enough detail (who, what, when, where, why, and
how)
● Not clear and concise
● Poor grammar, punctuation, and spelling
● Incorrect word usage
● Use of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms that
readers may not be familiar with
● Inconsistency in style throughout the department
Characteristics of a Good Report
● Accurate and specific
● Factual
● Objective
● Clear
● Complete
● Concise
● Well-organized
● Grammatically correct
13.
14.
15. 1. Which of the following is typically found in an incident report?
a. Description of an event that took place
b. Recommendations from law enforcement
c. A list of similar, prior incidents
2. Should incident reports be written in past, present, or future tense?
a. Past (e.g. Resident Andy Mineo appeared intoxicated because his language was slurred and
his breath smelled of alcohol.)
b. Present (e.g. Resident Andy Mineo is intoxicated because his language is slurred and his
breath smells of alcohol.)
c. Future (e.g. Resident Andy Mineo will be intoxicated because he is going to drink alcohol.)
3. What style of report is the most widely used and sets forth information in a logical manner or
sequence?
a) Narrative
b) Chronological
c) Specialized
16. Tasks
When a nurse entered the general ward, he found the patient
wounded and unconscious.
Write a detailed incident report using the following guidelines:
What happened?
How did it happen?
When did it happen?
Why did it happen?
Who was involved?
What will be the plan if the same thing happens again?
