Types of Incident Reports
Not every incident that could occur is the same. That’s why Legal Templates offers various incident report forms for your situation. Find the one that applies to your circumstances below so you can capture all essential details in your report.
Record an incident involving an employee, including misconduct and behavioral issues
Employee Incident Report
Document close calls in the workplace to identify hazards and prevent future accidents
Near Miss Incident Report
Record and respond to digital security threats to protect systems, data, and operations
Cybersecurity Incident Report
Document accidents, injuries, and safety issues that occur on a construction site
Construction Incident Report
Record details of an event that caused harm or had the potential to, including injuries, damage, and actions taken
Accident Incident Report
Summarize details of any unexpected event or accident involving a patient during care
Patient Incident Report
Record any incidents that affect students or staff in a school environment
School Incident Report
Put events that compromise security, like workplace violence or data breaches, in writing
Security Incident Report
What Is an Incident Report?
An incident report is a written record of an unexpected event involving injury, damage, or a safety concern. It’s common in workplace situations but can also be useful for events outside of work.
Completing an incident report as soon as possible after an incident occurs is the way to go. This way, you can ensure the details are accurate and that the organization can take corrective actions. Common situations that call for an incident report include:
- any incident that results in injury or property damage
- any incident that presents a safety or health hazard
- any breach of patient or customer information
- violence or harassment
- legal or ethical violations
- workplace accidents or misconduct
- any close call that might have led to an incident
Legal Templates’s incident report template lets you record essential details of an unexpected event. Our form makes it easy to include all information so you can have a full summary of what happened. We have different variations, so you can fill out one for anything from a workplace incident to a safety breach.
Why Use an Incident Report Form?
An incident report form gives you a clear way to respond when something goes wrong. Whether it’s a workplace injury, a customer complaint, or property damage, documenting the event helps your team act quickly and responsibly.
Filling out a report serves several key purposes:
- It captures what happened while the details are still fresh.
- It helps your team investigate the cause and decide what to fix.
- It creates a paper trail that can support legal or insurance needs.
- It encourages accountability by tracking how incidents are handled.
- Over time, it helps you spot patterns and improve safety measures.
Having a template on hand means you’re prepared — and that you can stay focused on resolving the issue instead of scrambling to figure out what to write.
What to Include in an Incident Report Form
Not every incident report form will contain the same information. The information you include will vary depending on the situation. However, some elements remain consistent from form to form.
Using Legal Templates’s incident report form ensures you don’t leave out key details. Explore the essential elements in our form:
- Reporting person: The name and role of the person reporting the incident.
- Incident date: The day and time the incident took place.
- Location: Where the incident took place (property address and specific location).
- People involved: The names, roles, and contact details of the people affected and involved.
- Incident details: Information about the incident, including what led up to it.
- Damages: A description of property damage if any occurred.
- Police involvement: Whether law enforcement came and what actions they took.
- Injuries: Whether anyone sustained injuries and to what degree.
- First aid: Whether someone provided first aid on the scene.
- Medical treatment provided: Whether medical personnel provided more extensive treatment for injuries.
- Witnesses: The names and contact information of witnesses.
- Incident response: The corrective action that the company took to fix the issue.
- Supporting documents: A description of supporting documents or photos that you will attach to the form.
- Report date: The date of writing the report.
How to Write an Incident Report Form
Creating an incident report form helps you stay organized and document issues. Learn how to write one to record the issue and take corrective action.
1. Report the Situation Immediately
Be sure to report the situation as soon as it happens. Some incidents need a certain level of timely reporting. You can read more about this in our Legal Considerations section below.
Even if there’s no specific guidance, it’s best to document the situation right after it occurs. An investigation may start sooner, which can lead to a more effective resolution.
Delaying a report can lead to forgotten details, so it’s essential to report immediately.
2. Gather Evidence
Once you take action to start the report, gather evidence like:
- photos or videos of hazardous conditions, injuries, and property damage
- time stamps and logs
- work shift records
- damaged equipment
- emails or texts that provide context before the incident occurred
Review this evidence while writing the report so you can include relevant details. Be mindful when collecting evidence, ensuring you consider personal safety and company policies. For example, you may need to notify security personnel to access camera footage.
3. Interview Witnesses
Interview witnesses to learn about what happened and get their perspective. Share your notes with them to ensure your transcription aligns with their experiences. Get their contact information and ask if they’d be available to answer follow-up questions.
4. Complete the Form with Essential Details
Use Legal Templates’s incident report template to document the occurrence. Create an accurate account by combining statements from the people involved and witnesses. Include your observance of the event and physical evidence if applicable. Provide ample details even if the incident seems minor.
Submit the completed incident report log using your company’s preferred channels and methods.
5. Assess Potential Causes
Once you complete an incident report form, think about what might have caused the issue. Consider what went wrong and how you might have prevented the issue. Was the incident caused by an employee oversight, negligence, or another human error? Or was it caused by external factors outside of anyone’s control?
Make recommendations for future improvements to increase safety and accountability within your organization. Record your findings in your employee handbook and employee onboarding checklist. This way, newcomers will know how to prevent issues.
Sample Incident Report Template
View a free sample of an incident report to understand how to record an event. Once you know the language to use, you can create your own PDF or Word document using our incident report template.
Legal Considerations for Incident Reporting
When writing incident reports, you must adhere to certain legal requirements to ensure accuracy and compliance. When you make the following considerations, you can protect the involved parties and encourage resolution.
Regulatory Compliance
Make sure you follow industry-specific reporting guidelines. Depending on what industry you’re in, you may have to report incidents within a certain amount of time after they happen.
You may also have to report to certain agencies or follow certain laws. For example, incidents in healthcare may need to follow HIPAA’s reporting requirements. You may also need to report to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). If you work in transportation, you may have to follow reporting requirements for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Duty to Report
You may only need to report incidents of a certain severity. Double-check your obligations before submitting a report to an agency that regulates your field.
Confidentiality
Incident reports can contain sensitive information, so it’s important to handle them with care. Only share them with authorized individuals.
Acknowledge that they may contain identifiable details and confidential business information. They may also include references to disciplinary actions. Therefore, you should prioritize privacy while still making a comprehensive report.
Accuracy
An incident report should contain accurate information. Avoid including speculations or emotional language to keep it as factual as possible. This way, it can be used in legal proceedings or investigations if needed.
Legal Consequences
Failing to report an incident can have legal consequences. For example, the company may incur a fine or lawsuit against them. They may also face legal liability or be required to suspend operations for non-compliance.
Record Retention
Organizations may need to keep incident reports for a specific period based on various factors. For example, company policy may require certain retention periods. These can allow for audits and internal reviews.
Certain companies may need to follow retention requirements for their industry. For example, HIPAA requires six years for some incident reports.
You must also follow your jurisdiction’s statute of limitations. This way, you can determine how long you should keep incident report logs for legal claims.
Employee Rights
Employees may come to you to report incidents. You can’t retaliate against them for reporting certain events. This is because certain legal protections are in place. For example, Whistleblower Protections safeguard employees who report fraud. [1] Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents retaliation against employees who report harassment. [2]
If an employee comes to you, work with them to collect information. Don’t tie their reporting to their job, as you could risk legal issues and a poor reputation.
Write an Incident Report with Legal Templates
If your organization had an incident that you need to document, you can use Legal Templates’s incident report template. You can go through our dynamic document editor to include all relevant details and save your progress as you go. When you finish, download it as a PDF or Word document and save it to your computer. It’ll also be ready to print so you can store it in your internal records for easy reference.
We make incident reporting more seamless so your organization can handle incidents and learn from mistakes. When you use our form, you can easily remedy safety, security, and employee issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who fills out an incident report form?
The individual who oversees the property or scene fills out the form to ensure accuracy. This person could be a supervisor, property owner, manager, landlord, or HR personnel. They should have training to ensure thorough documentation.
Should I report a near miss?
Yes, you should report a near miss. Even though a near miss doesn’t result in a direct negative outcome, it proves a risk was present. You can use Legal Templates’s incident report form to document a near miss. This preventative action can help you learn what could’ve gone wrong. As a result, you may be able to lower the risk of similar incidents.
What are the five Ws of incident reporting?
The five Ws of incident reporting are Who, What, When, Where, and Why. These elements help supervisors include relevant details about the situation at hand.
What’s the difference between an incident report and a police report?
An incident report is an internal document that helps organizations understand what happened. A police report is an official legal document that reports illegal activity. A law enforcement officer fills it out, and involved individuals can use it to build legal cases.
