An incident report is the record of what happened, written while people can still remember it accurately. This one covers a workplace incident end to end — the event, the people, the damage, and what has to change — and you can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
What an incident report is for
Two different readers use the same document. The first is whoever has to act today: a supervisor deciding whether to stop work, a manager arranging cover for someone who went to hospital. The second reads it months later — an insurer, a regulator, or a solicitor — and they are reading it to find out what was known at the time.
That second reader is why the wording matters. An incident report records what was seen and heard, in the order it happened. Conclusions about blame belong in the investigation that follows, not in the first account of the event.
Write it the same day
Memory for sequence decays fastest. Within a day, people reliably remember what happened but start to disagree about the order, and once two accounts conflict the report stops being useful as evidence.
If you cannot finish it immediately, capture the facts that decay — times, positions, who was present, what was said — and come back for the rest. This form saves as you type, so a half-finished report survives a closed tab.
What to include, and what to leave out
A report that a stranger can act on without ringing you contains:
- The date, the time and the precise location — which bay, which machine, which stretch of road.
- A factual account in sequence, with no interpretation of cause.
- Everyone involved, including witnesses and whoever gave first aid, with a way to contact them.
- What was damaged, and whether it is still in service.
- What was done immediately, and what is keeping people safe until it is fixed.
- Photographs — a wide shot for context, then the detail.
Near misses are worth the same form
A near miss and a serious injury often differ only in luck. The same unguarded blind spot produces both, so the organisations that reduce injuries are usually the ones recording near misses in the same detail.
Answer the urgency and type questions honestly and the severity index at the top of this form will tell whoever reads it next what to look at first.
Reportable incidents
Some incidents must be reported to a regulator within a fixed period — in Great Britain under RIDDOR, in the United States under OSHA's recording and reporting rules. Thresholds differ by jurisdiction and by industry, and the duty usually sits with the employer rather than the person who filled in the form.
This template records whether an external report was made, to whom, and when. It does not decide whether one is required — check your own regulator's current guidance, because the thresholds change.
Common questions
Do I need an account to use this?
No. Fill it in, download the PDF, and leave. An account only matters if you want the report kept, or want your next one to start from this one.
Who should write the incident report?
Whoever has first-hand knowledge of what happened — usually the person who saw it or the supervisor who attended. A report written second-hand from a phone call is worth much less later.
What is the severity index at the top?
A triage number built from the urgency, the incident type and the treatment given. It is negative and unbounded: a lower number means a more serious incident. It tells the next reader what to look at first, and it is not a score out of anything.
Can I add photographs from my phone?
Yes. Beside any photo question, choose 'Add photos from my phone' and scan the QR code. There is no app to install and nothing to sign into — the photos appear on this page as you take them, and go into the PDF.
How long should an incident report be kept?
Longer than feels necessary. Retention periods are set by your regulator and your insurer, and claims can arrive years after the event. Check the rules that apply to you rather than assuming a default.