Incident report template
An incident report is only useful later if it records facts, not opinions. This form captures what happened, when, who was involved and what was done, and it deliberately leaves out conclusions, blame and guesswork. A report that says 'careless worker dropped a box' tells you nothing useful; one that says 'a box fell from the second shelf at 14:10, weight about 5kg' tells you where the real problem is. The worked example shows the form filled in for a slip in a storeroom. Write what you saw and what was done, and let the cause be found, not asserted.
A form for recording what happened, with facts, times and names and no conclusions or blame — the record that is actually useful later.
INC-001 · Rev 1.0
[INCIDENT REPORT TEMPLATE]
An incident report is only useful later if it records facts, not opinions. This form captures what happened, when, who was involved and what was done, and it deliberately leaves out conclusions, blame and guesswork. A report that says 'careless worker dropped a box' tells you nothing useful; one that says 'a box fell from the second shelf at 14:10, weight about 5kg' tells you where the real problem is. The worked example shows the form filled in for a slip in a storeroom. Write what you saw and what was done, and let the cause be found, not asserted.
1. WHAT AN INCIDENT REPORT IS FOR
> Note — Why this record matters, and why it has no opinions.
The report records the facts so the cause can be found later. It is not a place for blame or conclusions. If you want the cause, record the facts and the conditions; the pattern will show it.
2. THE FACTS
> Note — What happened, with times, places and people.
[DATE]
[TIME]
[LOCATION]
[PEOPLE]
3. WHAT HAPPENED
> Note — A plain description of the event, in order.
[DESCRIPTION]
4. WHAT WAS DONE
> Note — The immediate response and who took it.
[ACTION]
5. CONDITIONS AND CAUSE
> Note — The conditions present — not the blame.
[CONDITIONS]
6. WHAT NOT TO WRITE
> Note — The words that make a report useless.
Write facts, times, names and conditions. Leave out blame, guesses about motive, and conclusions about cause. A later review should be able to look at the facts you recorded and reach its own conclusion.
Free to use in your own documents, including commercially.
What an incident report is for
The report records the facts so the cause can be found later. It is not a place for blame or conclusions. If you want the cause, record the facts and the conditions; the pattern will show it.
The facts
[DATE]
[TIME]
[LOCATION]
[PEOPLE]
What happened
[DESCRIPTION]
What was done
[ACTION]
Conditions and cause
[CONDITIONS]
What not to write
Write facts, times, names and conditions. Leave out blame, guesses about motive, and conclusions about cause. A later review should be able to look at the facts you recorded and reach its own conclusion.
Worked example
What an incident report is for
The report records the facts so the cause can be found later. It is not a place for blame or conclusions. If you want the cause, record the facts and the conditions; the pattern will show it.
The facts
2026-08-12
14:10
Storeroom, second aisle, near the back wall.
A warehouse assistant who slipped and fell; one other assistant in the aisle who saw it and helped.
What happened
A cardboard box weighing roughly five kilograms fell from the second shelf at about 14:10. The assistant stepped back to avoid it, slipped on a wet patch on the floor, and fell. No one else was struck.
What was done
The assistant was helped up, checked, and taken to sit down. The floor was mopped and a wet-floor sign was put up. The box was put back on a lower shelf.
Conditions and cause
The floor was wet near the back wall, likely from a delivery earlier that day. The box had been placed on the second shelf, above shoulder height, with no step available.
What not to write
Write facts, times, names and conditions. Leave out blame, guesses about motive, and conclusions about cause. A later review should be able to look at the facts you recorded and reach its own conclusion.
These documents are starting structures for you to build on, not professional or legal advice. Anything that will have legal or contractual effect, or that varies by jurisdiction, should be reviewed by someone qualified in the relevant place.
What makes an incident report useful later
Facts, times, names and conditions — and nothing else. A report that says 'careless worker dropped a box' tells you nothing useful; one that says 'a box fell from the second shelf at 14:10, weight about five kilograms' tells you where the real problem is. The cause is found by looking at the facts, not by asserting it in the report.
The near-miss form records the events that did not cause harm but could have — the best early warning you will get.
Common questions
- What should an incident report include?
- Facts, and nothing else: the date, time and location, who was involved and who witnessed it, a plain description of what happened in order, and what was done in response. It should not include blame, guesses about motive or conclusions about cause. A report full of facts is useful later; one full of opinions is not.
- What should you not write in an incident report?
- Do not write blame, conclusions about cause, guesses about what someone was thinking, or any opinion. Write what was seen, the conditions present, and what was done. A later review should be able to look at your facts and reach its own conclusion about the cause.
Turn a folder of documents into something a team can actually find and follow
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