What's in a Good Incident Report?

Reporting an incident should happen ASAP. Why? Recollection of events are still fresh , availability of witnesses, and the landscape of the incident scene is close to those of when the incident occurred.

The details to the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How are often glossed over. Missing details could lead to ineffective resolutions. Also, paint a clear picture for the reader with no room for doubt or misinterpretation. For example; “The balcony collapsed because it was overcrowded” is a vague statement. A clearer statement instead would be, “The wooden balcony collapsed because it was overloaded. Structural engineers confirmed that the maximum rating for this balcony was 8 people. Witnesses also confirmed they saw as many as 15 people standing on the balcony before it collapsed.”

Too often the writer of the report is caught up in the moment of the incident and hurriedly documents details without considering first the chronological timeline of events. An out of sequence timeline not only confuses the reader, but it loses credibility when evaluated.

Like Joe Friday said, “Just the Facts.” Personal opinions or bias should be left out of report. Document the facts, and only the facts. Remember this is an official record of events and could be entered as evidence in a court of law.

Keep it simple and use terms that anyone can understand. Too often the writer of a report will use jargon or terms familiar to them or used within their profession. The problem arises when there is confusion on the readers part who ultimately this report is written for.

Lastly, a good report should address corrections to the issues to prevent the incident from recurring. Recommendations may be used to improve a condition, resolve an issue, or provide follow up post incident for additional fact gathering. Any recommendations provided should be relevant and supported by the details of the report.

If you need assistance with developing a good report, contact our Risk Evaluation Department.