Whenever an accident or other incident occurs at work, an incident report needs to be completed and filed immediately. These reports are then used to investigate what happened and can help prevent the same accident from occurring in the future.
Most often, incident reports are filed for accidents and injuries, but they can also be filed for property damage, misconduct, safety issues, and security issues. Anyone can file an incident report, but most of the time, these reports are filed by a person in authority, an employee who is reporting something they saw or experienced, or a person who wants to raise awareness about what is happening. .
There is no right or wrong incident when it comes to reporting, especially since what may seem minor could end up being something serious in the future. However, there are four types of incidents that should always be reported and never ignored.
4 incidents that should always be reported
It may seem silly to report events without harm because it seems like a person is gossiping about something that will never harm anyone in the future. However, since you never know when something could turn harmful, it is always best to report it immediately. At the very least, you will alert everyone that this problem exists and that they should exercise caution in the future.
2. Near misses
There are times when a person could have been injured by something that occurred at work, but was lucky and walked away unharmed. While this is good news for that person, it doesn't mean everyone will be as lucky in the future. That's why it's a good idea to report these problems so that no one has to suffer a serious injury in the future.
3. Adverse incidents
Adverse incidents are almost always related to people who have been harmed by medications or medical devices, but these same effects can occur from other items in any workplace around the world. Mold in a building can cause adverse effects on many employees, but this is just one example of what this type of incident could be.
4. Sentinel Incidents
A sentinel incident occurs when something happens that causes a person to be seriously injured or die as a result of what happened. These incidents typically include falls, trips and other accidents that could have been avoided in most cases.
When a person is going to report any of the above incidents, or another type of incident, they should make sure that their report includes lots of specific information.
What information should be included in an incident report
- Information about what exactly happened
- Where the incident happened
- When the incident happened
- How the incident happened
- Who was involved in the incident
- Who is reporting the incident
- Who observed the incident
- Any damage or injury that occurred in the incident
It goes without saying that incident reports must be very detailed and contain all the necessary information. If any details are left out, it could mean the difference between this type of incident not happening again and the same thing going wrong in the near future.
Excellent incident reports will include all of the following five items
While you may think you can write down the answers to all of the above and your incident report will be able to be submitted, there are a few other things you should know. Being aware of the next five things will ensure your incident report is complete and ready to be read and reviewed for best results.
1. Facts
You may think that providing half of the facts, or most of the facts, is enough for your incident report. However, when you do this, you usually let your emotions get involved and this can distort what is on paper. Instead of writing your opinion, you should simply state all the facts and not leave out even the smallest details.
2. Accuracy
Everything you write down in the incident report must be accurate. While the information included may be true, you may accidentally end up misspelling a person's name, or there may be some typos that you didn't notice. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is when the report is being reviewed because people may not be sure whether you meant one thing or another.
3. Make sure each section is complete
In our rush to get things done, we tend to skip things that we don't consider important. You may be tempted to skip some minor sections of an incident report just to save time, but that's the worst thing you can do if you want to get the best results. Include the names of the people who were injured, as well as those who witnessed what was happening, and don't forget to also include the time it happened. We also recommend including any other details you remember that are not requested, especially if you think these details might help during the investigation process.
4. Photos and diagrams
While you may think your descriptions are sufficient in an incident report, photos and diagrams will always make your incident report better. These two things can show exactly where everything was when the incident occurred and ensure that everyone can imagine exactly what happened. Furthermore, facts cannot be disputed when details are provided in image form.
5. Validate the report
Once the incident report is completed, everyone involved must sign what was written. This ensures that everyone agrees with what is written so that there are no problems in the future.
Once incident reports are completed, they should be forwarded to investigators so they can investigate what happened and try to prevent the same from happening in the future. They can use the report to collect more information and evidence. A final report will be written after the investigation is complete and can be consulted in the future if other incidents of the same nature occur.
Some people don't think incident reports are necessary for so many things, but they can be excellent points of reference in the future, especially if something continues to happen or something similar occurs. At the very least, they create a paper trail that can be referenced for years to come.
