What does a good workplace incident report look like?
A good report lets a stranger understand the event without asking questions. It names the exact place and equipment, gives times, describes what people did in order, and separates what was seen from what is assumed. The blank form and the regional field lists are on the incident report form page; the three samples here show it filled in. All names, sites and details are anonymised.
Sample 1: injury report (slip and fall)
| Section | Entry |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Injury (sprained ankle) |
| When and where | 3 Sep · 06:25 · Night shift · Distribution centre, aisle 14, pick face at floor level |
| People involved | Order picker, employee, two years in role · Supervisor: night shift team leader |
| What happened | The picker stepped back from the pick face carrying a tote and put the left foot on a loose plastic strap that had come off a pallet. The foot rolled and the picker fell on to the left side. The strap had been on the floor for an unknown time; the aisle was last swept at the start of shift. |
| Injury or damage | Swollen left ankle · First aid on site, assessed at a medical centre, diagnosed as a sprain · Two days on restricted duties · No damage to stock |
| Immediate actions | First aider attended at 06:27 · Strap removed and aisle swept · Photos taken of the area and the strap · Team leader told at 06:30 |
| Witnesses and evidence | Reach truck driver in aisle 15 saw the fall · Photos · Footwear checked and in good condition |
| Severity and notification | Actual: medical treatment injury · Potential: fracture or head injury · Not notifiable |
| Immediate cause | Loose strap on the floor in a walkway |
| Actions and follow-up | Add strap and wrap removal to the pallet breakdown step (inbound team leader, 10 Sep) · Add a mid-shift floor check to the aisle walk (night shift team leader, 8 Sep) · Review at the weekly safety huddle and close after four weeks with no repeat |
| Sign-off | Reported by picker 3 Sep 06:50 · Reviewed by safety adviser 3 Sep · Closed 1 Oct |
Sample 2: near miss report (forklift and pedestrian)
| Section | Entry |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Near miss (vehicle and pedestrian) |
| When and where | 17 Sep · 14:10 · Day shift · Goods-in dock, between door 2 and the staff walkway |
| People involved | Forklift operator, licensed, six years on site · Maintenance fitter on foot |
| What happened | The forklift left door 2 carrying a pallet that blocked the operator's view to the right. The fitter was walking along the marked walkway towards the workshop. The operator braked when the fitter stepped back, and the forks stopped about one metre from the fitter. Nobody touched anything. |
| Injury or damage | None |
| Immediate actions | Both stopped and spoke on the spot · Operator reported to the supervisor before the end of the shift · Door 2 walkway crossing marked with cones until the review |
| Witnesses and evidence | Dock clerk saw the event · Camera footage requested · Photo of the sight line from the driver's seat |
| Severity and notification | Actual: none · Potential: fatal (pedestrian struck by a loaded forklift) · Not notifiable |
| Immediate cause | Blocked sight line at an unmarked crossing where pedestrians and trucks share the same line |
| Actions and follow-up | Install a stop line, a mirror and a pedestrian gate at door 2 (facilities, 1 Oct) · Brief all dock operators on travelling with the load low and sounding the horn at crossings (dock supervisor, 20 Sep) · Review the other doors for the same layout |
| Sign-off | Reported by operator 17 Sep 15:30 · Reviewed by safety adviser 18 Sep · Closed 3 Oct after the gate was installed |
Sample 3: damage and spill report
| Section | Entry |
|---|---|
| Incident type | Property damage and environmental release (small) |
| When and where | 24 Sep · 11:05 · Day shift · Chemical store, east bay |
| People involved | Forklift operator, employee · Store attendant |
| What happened | While putting away a pallet the forks went through the side of a 200-litre drum of cleaning concentrate on the lowest rack beam. About 40 litres leaked on to the bunded floor. The operator reversed out, switched off and raised the alarm. |
| Injury or damage | No injuries · One drum and its contents lost · Pallet wrap and a rack upright scuffed · Spill held inside the bund and did not reach a drain |
| Immediate actions | Area cleared and doors propped for ventilation · Spill kit used by the trained attendant wearing the PPE on the safety data sheet · Waste collected in a labelled container · Drain cover checked |
| Witnesses and evidence | Store attendant · Photos of the drum, the bund and the rack · Safety data sheet for the product |
| Severity and notification | Actual: minor environmental release, contained · Potential: larger release and exposure · Not notifiable; checked against the site licence and local rules |
| Immediate cause | Pallet put away at an angle with poor lighting at the bottom rack position |
| Actions and follow-up | Fit lighting and a pallet guide at the lowest beam (facilities, 8 Oct) · Refresher on put-away of drums for store operators (supervisor, 4 Oct) · Inspect the rack upright (engineer, 27 Sep) |
| Sign-off | Reported by operator 24 Sep 11:40 · Reviewed by safety adviser 24 Sep · Closed 10 Oct |
How do you write the "what happened" section?
Write the sequence in time order, in plain language, using the names people use on site. Describe what was seen and heard. Leave out opinions about why, and leave out blame. "Operator was careless" is a judgement; "the operator reversed without looking behind" is a fact, if someone saw it.
What do all three samples have in common?
- The place is exact enough for a stranger to find it.
- Times are recorded, including when first aid arrived and when the supervisor was told.
- Actual and potential severity are both rated, so a near miss is not treated as a non-event.
- Every action has an owner and a date, and the report is closed only after the action is done.
- Nothing in the description is a guess; unknowns are marked "not known".
Common mistakes in incident reports
- Writing it days later from memory.
- Vague places and equipment ("near the machine").
- Naming a person as the cause instead of describing the condition.
- Skipping near misses because nobody was hurt.
- Closing the report with no corrective action, or with an action no one owns.
Step by step
- Start with the type and the place. Record the type of event, date, time, shift and the exact location.
- Record who was involved. Names, roles, how long in the job, and who supervised.
- Describe what happened in time order. Facts only, using the names people use on site; mark unknowns as not known.
- Record injury, damage and immediate actions. What was hurt or damaged, first aid, making safe and who was told, with times.
- Rate severity and check notification. Rate actual and potential severity and check whether the regulator must be told.
- Set actions and close the loop. Give each corrective action an owner and a date, and close only after it is verified.
A worked example
A distribution centre in Queensland began asking pickers and drivers to report near misses on the same form as injuries. In the first quarter the form picked up a cluster of reports from the same dock door, each described as nothing happened. Together they showed a blocked sight line at an unmarked crossing, and a stop line, mirror and pedestrian gate were fitted. The injury reports at that door stopped, and the supervisors began using the near-miss samples to coach new starters on what to write.