Accident & Incident Reporting template

2. What we mean by accident, incident and near miss

• Accident: an unplanned event that causes injury or ill health.
• Incident: a wider term that also covers unplanned events causing damage to property, equipment or the environment without injury.
• Near miss: an event that could have caused harm but didn't — the free lesson.
• Dangerous occurrence: specific categories of serious incident that are reportable under RIDDOR even when nobody is hurt; the HSE publishes the definitive list.
• Work-related ill health: conditions caused or made worse by work, including certain occupational diseases that are RIDDOR-reportable when diagnosed.

3. Roles and responsibilities

• All staff: report every accident, incident and near miss to the duty manager before the end of the same shift — no incident is too small to mention.
• Duty manager: makes the area safe, arranges first aid, starts the record, and preserves the scene for serious incidents.
• Responsible manager ([name/role]): decides whether an event is RIDDOR-reportable, submits reports to the HSE, and leads or assigns investigations.
• Senior owner ([name/role]): reviews incident trends at [frequency] and confirms investigation actions are closed.

4. Immediate response

1. 1Make the area safe — isolate equipment, cordon off the hazard — without putting yourself at risk.
2. 2Get help for anyone injured: call a first aider ([see first aid notice at location]) or 999 for anything beyond first aid.
3. 3Tell the duty manager immediately, whatever the apparent severity.
4. 4For serious incidents, preserve the scene: do not move equipment or clear up beyond what is needed to help casualties and make the area safe.
5. 5Identify witnesses and take their names and contact details before they leave.

5. Recording the incident

1. 1Complete an entry in [accident book/system] before the end of the shift — by the injured person where possible, otherwise by the duty manager.
2. 2Capture the facts: who was involved, date, time, exact location, what happened, the injury or damage, treatment given, and witnesses.
3. 3Record near misses in [form/system] with the same discipline — they are the cheapest safety data you will ever get.
4. 4The duty manager checks the entry the same day for completeness, keeping it factual — no speculation about blame.
5. 5Pass every entry to [name/role] within [timeframe, e.g. 24 hours] for the RIDDOR decision.

6. RIDDOR reporting

[Name/role] decides whether an event is reportable, using current HSE guidance rather than memory — the categories are specific and the definitive lists live on the HSE site. Reports are made through the HSE's online reporting service, and a copy of every submission is kept at [location].

• Deaths and specified injuries: report without delay.
• Injuries that leave a worker unable to do their normal work for more than seven days: report within 15 days of the accident.
• Certain occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences: report per the HSE lists.
• If in doubt whether something is reportable, check the HSE guidance or take advice the same day — do not let the deadline pass while deciding.

7. Investigation

1. 1Scale the investigation to the severity and potential of the event — a near miss that could have killed gets more attention than a cut finger.
2. 2Gather evidence promptly: statements, photographs, CCTV, training and maintenance records.
3. 3Identify the immediate cause, then the underlying one — why the control failed, not who to blame.
4. 4Update the relevant risk assessment before the task resumes.
5. 5Assign corrective actions with owners and dates, and track them to completion.
6. 6Share the lessons with the whole team at [meeting/channel].

8. Records and data protection

Accident records contain personal data, including health information. Completed entries are stored securely in [system/location] with access limited to [roles], and retained for [period — set this in line with your data retention policy and check current official guidance]. RIDDOR submissions, investigation reports and action logs are kept alongside them.

9. Review

This procedure is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually], after any RIDDOR-reportable event, and whenever the reporting system or key personnel change. [Name/role] reviews incident and near-miss trends at [frequency] and reports them to [senior owner/meeting]. Next review due: [date].