Section outline

    • Although the words ‘incident’ and ‘accident’ are often used interchangeably, there is a fundamental difference between them. An incident is a wider term and refers to any event that occurs, whether intentional or not. An accident, meanwhile, is an unexpected, unintentional event which can result in ill health, injury, death, or damage to property. We may also refer to a ‘near-miss’ which is an unplanned event that could have resulted in injury or harm but did not. It could, therefore, be considered an incident with the potential to become an accident in the future.