Incident reports are vital to creating a safer work environment, as they help EHS professionals pinpoint areas of improvement in an organization’s safety program based on the incidents which occur on-site. This will help leaders work towards creating a proactive, fact-based safety strategy. With the right process in place to report on incidents you can protect more workers and make sure they go home safely at the end of each day.
Before we learn the types of incident reports, let’s start at the very beginning.
What is an Incident Report?
An incident reportis a document where safety professionals,like a supervisor,recordan event which may or may not have caused harm to an individual orcompany property orequipment.Whether anear missorsentinel events, such occurrences must be recorded to work towards strengthening your safety approachand mitigatinginjuries and illnesses.Think of these reports as a tool to bring you closer to pinpointing opportunities to improve your safety program, helping you createa saferplace to work.
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What Should be Included in an Incident Report?
Details about the incidentoradverse eventmustbeincludedwithin this report,such as the location, data and time, who or what was affected, what action was being carried out, etc.
Take a lookat the figure below to learn more:
Types of Incidents to Report On
There arevarioustypes of incidents which you can chose to report onwhile on the worksite. Bear in mind these incidents should be reported as soon astheyoccur,tomitigate risks efficiently and protect workers quickly.
The 4mainincidentreportsthatshould be on your listare:
1. Near Miss Reports
Near misses are eventswhere no one was injured, butgiven a slight change in timing or action, someone could have been.Because of this,it’s important for safety professionals to report such events to help putcorrective actions in place so no one faces such a potential risk in the future. This will help keep all workers safe while on site.
At times, workers may feel hesitant to report on such issues for fear of getting in trouble, but it is essential for safety managers to encourageeveryoneto reportsuch incidents. Environments where workers are encouraged to voice their concerns and give feedback are ones which are safer and more secure.Check out someConstruction Safety Meeting Topicsyou can start to include in your nextsession,so all workers are aware of best practices.
2. Injury and Lost Time Incident Report
This type ofincidentreportisfor recording anyinjurywhich hasresulted in lost time.Injuries can occur on-site when certain precautions are not taken, PPE is not worn, or other variables beyond our control come into play. These incidents must be reported immediately,totake necessary corrective measures and lower the potential for such an event happening again.
Similar towhat was mentioned above, hereare just some of the things to include in your report:
- Date and time
- Location
- Person who was injured
- Description of incident and injury
- Possible root causes
- Actions implemented after the incident
To learn more about Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate and how to reduce it,read ourblogon the subject.
3. Exposure Incident Report
Exposure to harmful chemicals or substances may occur while on the worksite such as asbestos, carbon monoxide, COVID-19, and more.Safety professionals should reportsuch incidents quicklytohelp keep others safe from harm.
With the pandemic in mind, keeping workers aware of any exposure which may have occurred can prevent a possible outbreak and keep them more vigilant. Read more about how one of our customers was able tokeep all workers safefrom COVID-19.
4. Sentinel Event Report
Sentinel events are extreme events which result in death or seriouspermanentinjury.These events are unexpected and can includeoccurrencessuch as natural disasters,illness outbreaks,slips, trips and falls, struckbys, etc.These events must be reported to strengthen your safety program and take the steps needed to implementspecificactions to protect workers, in the event suchunpredictableevents happen again.
Incident reportsarevital tocreatinga safer place to work for your employees. We want to help you stay proactive and create a healthier,safer,and stronger work environment. Explore our suite of safety solutions by filling out the form below orspeaking to one of our safety expertsto learn more.
FAQs
Incident reports can be categorized into four main types: injury, illness, near miss, and property damage. Each type serves a specific purpose and provides valuable insights into different aspects of workplace safety.
What are the four 4 steps in incident investigation? ›
A BREAKDOWN OF THE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION PROCESS
- STEP ONE: Preserve and Document the Incident Scene.
- STEP TWO: Collect Information.
- Examples of each type of question:
- STEP THREE: Determine Root Causes.
- Problem Statement: “The conveyor belt on the main production line has stopped.”
- STEP FOUR: Implement Corrective Actions.
3 Types Of Incidents That Stand Out: Is Your Help Desk Prepared?
- Major Incidents. Large-scale incidents may not come up too often, but when they do hit, organizations need to be prepared to deal with them quickly and efficiently. ...
- Repetitive Incidents. ...
- Complex Incidents.
In the acute/general hospital care setting three of the top four reported incident types are the same as those for the whole dataset (as most incidents are reported in this care setting): 'implementation of care and ongoing monitoring/review' (18%; 292,052/1,629,360); 'patient accident' (14%; 223,127); 'access, ...
What is a Type 4 incident type? ›
Type 4. Initial attack or first response to an incident. IC is “hands on” leader and performs all functions of Operations, Logistics, Planning, and Finance. Few resources are used (several individuals or a single strike team) Normally limited to one operational period.
What are the 4 stages of an incident? ›
The NIST incident response lifecycle
- Phase 1: Preparation. ...
- Phase 2: Detection and Analysis. ...
- Phase 3: Containment, Eradication, and Recovery. ...
- Phase 4: Post-Event Activity.
Repair, Resolution, Recovery and Restoration are the 4 R's mostly used during the Incident Management process. While ITIL is very particular about the terms and terminology, there seems to be enough confusion while discussing these four terms.
What are the 4 major steps of any investigation? ›
The steps in the investigation are simple: the investigators gather data, analyze it, determine their findings, and make recommendations.
What are incident categories? ›
The incident category refers to the area that has been affected by the incident. For example, networks, systems, or applications.
What are 3 basic elements in an incident? ›
Basic Incident Information
It should include: the names and positions of the people involved. the names of any witnesses. the exact location and/or address of the incident.
Reportable incidents are:
- unreasonable use of force.
- unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct.
- neglect.
- psychological or emotional abuse.
- unexpected death.
- stealing or financial coercion by a staff member.
- inappropriate use of restrictive practices.
- unexplained absence from care (missing consumers).
Description. Type 5. The incident can be handled with one or two single resources with up to six personnel. Command and General Staff positions (other than the Incident Commander) are not activated. No written Incident Action Plan (IAP) is required.
What is a FEMA Type 3 incident? ›
Written IAP may be necessary for each operational period Page 12 NIMS Incident Complexity Guide 9 Type 3 Incident Effect Indicators Incident Management Indicators Examples: Type 3 incidents, events and exercises can include a tornado that damages a small section of a city, village or town; a railroad tank car HAZMAT ...
What are the three incident handling categories? ›
Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Moreover, merely disconnecting the attacking host from the data source may backfire; NIST suggests that the incident response team have a specific containment plan for each type of attack they anticipate based on risk assessments and analyses.
When reporting an incident What are the four stages of the investigation? ›
4-Steps to Manage Incident (Accident) Investigations
Preserve and document the scene. Collect Data. Determine root causes. Implement corrective actions.
What are the types of reportable incidents? ›
The following types of injury must be reported under RIDDOR.
- The death of any person. ...
- Specified, reportable injuries to workers. ...
- Over-7-day incapacitation of a worker. ...
- Over-3-day incapacitation. ...
- Non-fatal accidents to people other than workers. ...
- Carcinogens, mutagens and biological agents.
