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What Is an Incident Report?

An incident report is a document that records a comprehensive account of what happened during an incident. It presents the people who were involved, what the circumstance was all about, and how it resulted. While this might be a common document in police investigations, this is also a useful tool used to log workplace accidents, security threats, and material damages.

Different Varieties of Incident Report

Documenting happenings, especially those that show hazards or unfavorable events are necessary for an organization’s development. Their records help them look back on their previous encounters on a detailed paper and execute adjustments that cater to mending rifts and inconsistencies in the past. This is why incident reports are necessary.

There are different types of incident reports for various purposes:

1. Security Incident Report. This type of incident report usually comes from security personnel concerning safety issues such as theft, trespassing incidents, or company data or information threats. This is important in documenting security breaches in an organization.

2. Accident Report. An accident report is a document that describes accidents in varying degrees, whether they’re minor or severe. This is commonly used by the authorities but is also useful in workplace situations.

3. Workplace Incident report. This incident report mainly focuses on workplace occurrences such as accidents, offenses, safety risks, or security gaps that can disrupt the organization’s operations. An example of this is an employee injury report.

How to Write an Incident Report

According to Study.com, the main purpose of an incident report is its ability to document or record what had happened thoroughly and comprehensively. However, it would fail to meet its purpose if you fall short of making it with the necessary details it should have. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Collect the Necessary Facts

Because this details the account of an “incident,” start the process by collecting the necessary facts pertaining to what happened. Collect the basic facts first. These include the names of the involved, time and date of the incident, and the location, among others. If you’re reposting a vehicular accident, you must get the license plate numbers as well. After that, expand your data by asking the details of the persons involved. Record if there are new injuries. Interview them and have them explain to you what happened and how the incident unfolded. For this, get the witnesses’ statements, as well. Examine the area and identify if there are damages. The data-gathering part of this process is important because you will base your entire investigation report on these details.

2. Analyze Your Gathered Data

After gathering everything you need to know, analyze how these facts fit together. Did you notice some inconsistencies? Do the witnesses’ narrative, and the people involved connect? Do you need more supporting details? These might be the questions you’ll answer when you go through the information you’ve collected. Merely gathering and putting the facts together can’t produce an effective incident report outline. On the other hand, if you take the time to evaluate your details, you’ll be able to draft a more comprehensive report.

3. Remain Clear, Thorough, and Objective

Remember that you’re writing an incident report, not your personal essay. You should never include any statement that shows your personal opinion or perspective about the incident. Keep it strictly factual and objective. Your report should also be clear and thorough. Describe how the scenes came to be by detailing your narrative in chronological order. This way, it’s easier to interpret the events leading to the scene. Avoid using complicated statements and ambiguous terms. Remember that your report is a source of relevant information. It might even reach the courts, so be sure to make it easy to read and understand.

4. Polish Your Work

After completing your work, never forget to do a thorough assessment of your document. Refer to your details and check you have misinterpreted some parts of the story. The worst that you can do when writing an incident report is to twist details in favor of your interpretation instead of what truly happened. Also, check for misspelled words and grammatical errors. You wouldn’t want to leave any stain on your content, no matter how small it may be. You should also look out for criticisms or judgmental expressions that you might have added unconsciously.

FAQs

It’s important to note that while progress and initiatives that resulted in great success are prized possessions in filing cabinets because they’re a great future reference, the not-so-good plans and unanticipated occurrences also contain valuable lessons. Incident reports provide details on how to make the incoming circumstances better. Avail any of our incident report templates above with the best deals. Download now!