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An incident / accident report documents the details of an incident or an accident a short time after the event. This kind of report is not written in order to apportion blame but so that such an incident / accident can be avoided or prevented in the future. Keeping a record of incidents or accidents can help employers to identify patterns of accidents and injuries, so that they can better manage risk in the workplace. In many countries, it is a legal requirement of an employer to report certain incidents / accidents to the relevant government department, usually one which deals with health and safety issues. Depending on the seriousness of the incident / accident and any resulting injuries or damage, this report may also be used for insurance claims, compensation claims and even lawsuits.

Incident / accident reports may be read by any number of people, including those involved in the event, as well as their employers, investigators, the police, lawyers, judges, etc. For this reason, the report needs to be accurate and keep to the facts. Indeed, to ensure accuracy, an incident / accident report should be written as soon as possible after the event. In addition, if more than one person is involved in the event, separate reports should be prepared for each affected person. This ensures that the report is written from the point of view of each individual and includes details specific to them such as medical information.

An incident / accident report includes a section which describes the event in detail. This is written in a narrative style and describes what lead up to the event and what exactly happened. This description may be from the perspective of the person affected or of an eyewitness. Besides this, the action taken after the event, or to be taken in the future, is recorded. This is usually written in an impersonal way, such as in the passive voice, eg: The employee was offered first-aid.

Finally, most companies use an incident / accident form for recording the event and this needs to be completed by the manager or supervisor on behalf of the employer. The form may vary slightly depending on the workplace or industry, but it should include most, if not all, of the sections shown in the example below.