🚨 Incident Reporting Guide
When incidents happen, how you respond matters — for your people, your company, and your EMR.
Report Everything
Underreporting makes things worse. OSHA violations for non-reporting, insurance fraud risk, and you can't fix problems you don't know about.
Types of Incidents
| Type | Definition | Reporting Required |
|---|---|---|
| Fatality | Death | OSHA within 8 hours |
| Hospitalization | Inpatient admission | OSHA within 24 hours |
| Amputation | Loss of body part | OSHA within 24 hours |
| Eye Loss | Loss of eye | OSHA within 24 hours |
| Recordable Injury | Medical treatment beyond first aid | OSHA 300 Log |
| First Aid Only | Minor treatment | Internal only |
| Near Miss | Close call, no injury | Internal only |
| Property Damage | Equipment/material damage | Internal only |
Immediate Response
When an Incident Occurs
First 5 Minutes:
- Ensure safety — Stop work, secure scene
- Get help — Call 911 if needed
- First aid — Render appropriate care
- Notify supervisor — Immediately
First Hour:
- Secure the scene — Don't disturb evidence
- Identify witnesses — Get names, contact info
- Document conditions — Photos, notes
- Notify management — Per company policy
- OSHA notification — If required
Scene Preservation
Don't disturb:
- Equipment involved
- Materials/tools
- Positions of items
- Environmental conditions
Do document:
- Photographs (many angles)
- Measurements
- Weather/lighting
- Equipment status
- Witness locations
OSHA Reporting Requirements
When to Report to OSHA
| Event | Timeframe | How |
|---|---|---|
| Fatality | Within 8 hours | Phone or online |
| Hospitalization | Within 24 hours | Phone or online |
| Amputation | Within 24 hours | Phone or online |
| Eye Loss | Within 24 hours | Phone or online |
OSHA Hotline: 1-800-321-OSHA (6742)
Online: osha.gov/report
OSHA 300 Log
Recordable injuries must be logged:
- Death
- Days away from work
- Restricted work
- Transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- Significant injury/illness diagnosed
Not recordable:
- First aid only
- Observations/testing
- Preventive care
First Aid vs. Medical Treatment
| First Aid (Not Recordable) | Medical Treatment (Recordable) |
|---|---|
| Cleaning wounds | Sutures/stitches |
| Band-aids | Prescription medication |
| Ice packs | X-rays for diagnosis |
| OTC medication (single dose) | Physical therapy |
| Tetanus shot | Cast/splint |
| Eye flush | Surgical procedures |
Incident Investigation
Why Investigate
- Determine root cause
- Prevent recurrence
- Document for defense
- Insurance requirements
- Regulatory compliance
Investigation Steps
1. Gather Facts
- What happened?
- Who was involved?
- Where exactly?
- When precisely?
- What equipment/materials?
- What were conditions?
2. Interview Witnesses
- Interview separately
- Ask open-ended questions
- Don't lead or suggest answers
- Document verbatim when possible
- Get written statements
3. Analyze Causes
Contributing factors:
- Equipment failure
- Environmental conditions
- Procedures not followed
- Inadequate training
- Supervision issues
- Communication breakdown
Root cause categories:
- Unsafe acts (behavior)
- Unsafe conditions (environment)
- System failures (management)
4. Document Findings
- Sequence of events
- Contributing factors
- Root cause(s)
- Supporting evidence
- Photographs
5. Corrective Actions
- What will prevent recurrence?
- Who is responsible?
- What's the timeline?
- How will we verify?
Internal Reporting
Incident Report Form
Include:
- Date, time, location
- People involved
- Description of incident
- Injuries (if any)
- Property damage (if any)
- Witnesses
- Immediate actions taken
- Photos attached
Notification Chain
- Supervisor (immediately)
- Safety manager (same day)
- Project manager (same day)
- Executive management (serious incidents)
- Insurance carrier (per policy)
- Legal counsel (if needed)
Near Miss Reporting
Why Report Near Misses?
- Today's near miss is tomorrow's injury
- Identify hazards before injury
- Build safety culture
- No OSHA recording requirement
- Valuable learning opportunity
Encouraging Reports
- No-blame reporting
- Anonymous options
- Recognize reporters
- Share learnings
- Act on reports
Insurance Reporting
Workers' Compensation
- Report all injuries promptly
- Follow carrier requirements
- Provide required documentation
- Cooperate with investigation
- Manage return to work
General Liability
- Third-party injuries
- Property damage
- Potential claims
- Per policy requirements
Documentation Best Practices
Do's
- ✅ Write factually
- ✅ Document immediately
- ✅ Include specifics
- ✅ Take photographs
- ✅ Get witness statements
- ✅ Keep copies
Don'ts
- ❌ Admit fault
- ❌ Speculate on causes
- ❌ Delay reporting
- ❌ Alter documents
- ❌ Destroy evidence
- ❌ Coach witnesses
Follow-Up Actions
After Investigation
- Implement corrective actions
- Verify effectiveness
- Share lessons learned
- Update procedures if needed
- Train on changes
Return to Work
- Follow medical restrictions
- Modified duty if appropriate
- Monitor recovery
- Document progress
- Clear before full duty
Be Prepared
Free Template: Download our incident report form.
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