How to write an incident report: seven steps and a written example

In short: How to write an incident report comes down to a few habits: write it the same day and stick to the facts, describe what happened step by step, record what was done straight away, and find out why it happened so it doesn’t happen again. A good report protects your people, your insurance claim and your reputation. Use our free incident report form so nothing your insurer needs is missed.

Written by Mike Armstrong, a company director of over 30 years. Last reviewed: 20 October 2026.

When I wrote the management system for a maritime security company, the reports our team leaders sent back to us in the office after each transit were vital, because our reports to clients were built from them. But they varied widely, because our team leaders came with different levels of training and experience, and only some had written this kind of report before. So we gave them a form with set sections and a short example in each. The difference was immediate: every report told us what we needed, and the occasional poor one stood out straight away.

Let's come ashore and look at something closer to home: a small warehouse on a busy Thursday afternoon.

A warehouse worker steps back off the loading dock (loading bay), catches his heel on a pallet and lands hard on his wrist. Dave, who keeps the place running, fetches the first aid kit, moves the pallet, sweeps up and has everyone back at work in ten minutes. Dave is brilliant in a crisis. Dave is less brilliant with paperwork.

Three weeks later, the insurer writes asking what happened. The only record is a line in a notebook: "Jake fell over. Seemed OK." Nobody wrote down where the pallet was, who saw it, or what Jake said at the time. The wrist, it turns out, was broken. A broken wrist at work is the kind of injury that usually has to be recorded, and often reported to the authorities: in the US to OSHA, in the UK to the Health and Safety Executive. Now it is one memory against another, and the insurer is asking questions nobody can answer.

None of that was carelessness. Nobody had ever shown Dave what a good incident report looks like. On this Learn page you'll find out what an incident report is, what goes in one, how to write it in seven steps, which words to use and which to avoid, and a full written example you can follow. You'll also find a free form to start with.

What is an incident report?

An incident report is a written record of something that went wrong at work, or nearly did: what happened, who was involved, what was done straight away, why it happened and what will stop it happening again.

"Incident" covers more than injuries. It includes a near miss (close call), where nobody was hurt but someone could have been; damage to property, equipment or a vehicle; a dangerous occurrence such as a collapse or a fire; a security incident such as a theft, a break-in or a threat; and a spill or leak. If it made you say "that was lucky", it probably deserves a report.

It happens more often than you might think. In the US, private employers recorded 2.5 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Great Britain, about 680,000 workers said they had been injured at work in 2024/25, according to the HSE's Kinds of accident statistics. Each one needed a record of some kind.

People often mix up an incident report with the injury log (the accident book in the UK), so it helps to see the two side by side.

Incident report vs injury log (accident book)

The two work together. The injury log (or accident book) records that an injury happened; the incident report explains it and fixes it. So what goes into a good one?

What to include in an incident report

A complete incident report answers eight plain questions. None of them is "whose fault was it?"

• What kind of incident was it? Injury, near miss, damage, dangerous occurrence, security incident, spill or something else.
• When and where? The date, the time and the exact location.
• Who was involved? Everyone hurt, involved or who saw it, and whether each is an employee, contractor, visitor or customer.
• What happened? The facts, step by step, including any injury, treatment and damage.
• What was done straight away? First aid, making the area safe, and who was told.
• What evidence is there? Photographs, video, a sketch of the scene, witness accounts and the relevant records.
• Must anyone outside be told? The authorities, your insurer, a customer.
• Why did it happen, and what will stop it happening again? The causes, the actions, who owns each one, and whether it worked.

Now let's put that into practice.

How to write an incident report in seven steps

These steps follow the same order as OSHA's advice on incident investigation in the US and the HSE's guide Investigating accidents and incidents (HSG245) in the UK, written for a small business.

1. Make it safe, then write it the same day

People come first: look after anyone hurt, call the emergency services if needed (911 in the US, 999 in the UK) and stop anyone else getting hurt. Then write the report the same day, while memories are fresh. Memories fade faster than the bruise does, and by next week three witnesses will remember three different incidents.

2. Record when, where and who

Write the date, the time and the exact location: not "the warehouse" but "the loading dock, by door 2". "Over there somewhere" has never helped an insurer. List everyone involved and everyone who saw it, and whether each is an employee, contractor, visitor or customer. Keep personal details to what you need, and store finished reports securely.

3. Describe what happened, facts only

Start just before it happened: what was the person doing, and with what? Then describe it step by step, in the order it happened. Write what you saw, what you heard and what you were told, and say which is which. Write down each witness's account in their own words. Opinions and guesses come later, if at all. You're writing a witness statement, not a detective novel. The table below shows the difference.

4. Record what you did straight away, and gather the evidence

Write down the first aid given, how the area was made safe and who was told. Then gather the evidence before anything is cleaned up or moved, when it is safe to do so: photographs of the scene, the equipment and any damage; any video (CCTV, phone or dashcam); a quick sketch of the layout with measurements; and the maintenance and training records that apply. A photo taken in the first ten minutes settles more arguments than a page of recollections.

5. Check whether anyone outside must be told

Some incidents must be reported to the authorities by law, within a set time. In the US, OSHA must be told of a work-related death within 8 hours, and of a worker kept in hospital, an amputation or the loss of an eye within 24 hours. In the UK, the RIDDOR rules cover deaths, specified injuries (such as most fractures), dangerous occurrences and workers off work for more than seven days. Outside the UK and US, check with your own national health and safety regulator. Check the same day, then tell your insurer, and a customer if it happened on their site.

6. Find out why it happened

This is fact-finding, not fault-finding. Keep asking "why?" until you reach something the business can fix. It helps to look at three levels: the immediate cause (water on the floor), the underlying cause (a leak nobody fixed) and the root cause (no simple way to report repairs and track them). "Bob was being Bob" is not a cause. For a serious or repeated incident, our Learn page on how to do a root cause analysis takes you deeper.

7. Agree the actions, and check they worked

Give every cause an action, an owner and a date. Where you can, remove the hazard altogether; training and signs come last. A wet floor sign is no match for a hose that has been leaking since March. Then come back later and check the action worked. Update your risk register too: if you don't keep one yet, our Learn page on how to create a risk register shows you how. A report isn't finished when the paperwork is done. It's finished when the fix is in place and works.

The words you choose matter as much as the steps. Here's how to keep them factual.

Words to use, and words to avoid

A good incident report reads like a witness statement, not a verdict. Swap vague words and blame for facts you can check:

Blame is the quickest way to make sure nobody reports the next one, and a near miss is the cheapest lesson you'll ever get. So keep the report about what happened, not who to blame.

Here's what all of that looks like in a real report.

Incident report example (written)

This example follows a small café with eight staff, after a kitchen assistant slipped by the dishwasher on a busy Friday evening. The names are made up; the kind of incident is one of the most common there is.

And here is the "What happened" section written out in full, which is the part most people find hardest:

Notice what it leaves out: no blame, no guesses and no "should have". Every line is something a person saw, heard or can check. The full example, with every section filled in, is inside our incident report template.

One more question comes up often, especially for businesses working towards a certificate.

Does ISO 9001 require incident reports?

Not by that name. ISO 9001:2026 is about quality, not health and safety, so it doesn't ask for incident reports. But when something goes wrong that affects your product, service or customer (the standard calls it a nonconformity), clause 10.2 asks you to deal with it and its consequences, find the cause, check whether it could happen elsewhere, act on it, check the action worked and keep a record of all of it. A damaged delivery or a wrong order fits that exactly, and an incident report covers every step. If you are working towards ISO 9001, our ISO 9001:2026 Certification-Ready System covers the whole standard.

What we've covered

A good incident report is written the same day and sticks to the facts. It records when, where and who, describes what happened step by step, notes what was done straight away and the evidence gathered, checks who outside must be told, finds out why it happened and gives every cause an action that is checked until it works. Keep the words factual and the blame out, and people will keep reporting. Even Dave.

What next

• Start free: print the incident report form and keep a few copies where incidents are likely to happen.
• Get the full report: the Incident Report Template gives you every section in Word: evidence and a sketch box, who must be told in the US and UK, three levels of cause, actions checked until they work, and the worked example to copy.

Incident report FAQ

What does incident report mean?

It means a written record of something that went wrong at work, or nearly did. It sets out what happened, who was involved, what was done straight away, why it happened and what will stop it happening again.

How do you make an incident report?

Make the area safe, then write it the same day. Record when, where and who; describe what happened, facts only; note what was done straight away and gather the evidence; check whether anyone outside must be told; find out why it happened; and agree actions that are checked until they work.

How do you write a work incident report?

The same way as any incident report, with the work details added: what the person was doing, the tools, equipment or materials involved, and whether the incident must be reported to the authorities, such as OSHA in the US or the HSE under RIDDOR in the UK.

Is there a work incident report sample or example I can follow?

Yes. The written example on this page follows a café kitchen assistant who slipped by a leaking dishwasher. It shows every part of the report, including the "What happened" section written out in full. The Incident Report Template includes the full example, with every section filled in.

Who should write an incident report?

Usually the person who saw it or was told about it first, or their manager. The person leading the investigation then adds the causes and actions. Anyone involved can add their own account. Dave is welcome to help, as long as he brings more than a notebook.

What should you not put in an incident report?

Blame, guesses and opinions presented as facts. Avoid words like "careless" or "should have". Write what was seen, heard and found, and say who said what.

Is a near miss an incident?

Yes. A near miss (close call) is an incident where nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged, but they could have been. It is worth a report, because it shows you a problem before it costs you anything.

How soon should an incident report be written?

The same day, while memories are fresh. Some incidents must also be reported to the authorities within a set time, quickly in the US under OSHA and in the UK under RIDDOR, so check that the same day too.

About the author

Written by Mike Armstrong, senior ISO consultant, former company director, and founder of Plain Standards. In over 30 years running companies at director level, Mike built his own management systems to drive profit long before he adopted ISO 9001, so he comes at this from the owner's side, not the auditor's. Plain Standards helps small and medium sized businesses get ISO certified without a consultant.