The 4 Basic Steps on Writing a Construction Incident Report

Accidents happen. Sometimes no matter how safe your company is, a claim can occur. It’s important that as an Owner/General Contractor your team knows what they need to do prior to any accident. Make sure you have clearly identified who will be responsible for completing the incident report if an accident were to occur (i.e. a Supervisor, etc.).

The incident report captures all the information regarding the accident. The report needs to include all the essential information about the accident or near-miss. Even though a specific form may be required to capture the information, the four basic steps are the same.

1. Find the Facts

When preparing to write an incident report, you have to gather and record all the facts. It’s important to have this information as it helps paint the picture of what happened. This information includes:

• Date & time
• Specific location of incident
• Names of Employees involved, etc.

2. Determine the Sequence

After you find the facts, you should now be able to determine the sequence of events. In your report, it’s important to describe this sequence in detail as best as you can. Include:

• Events leading up to the incident
• Events involved in the incident
• Events immediately following the incident

3. Analyze

Your report should include an in-depth analysis of the causes of the accident. Make sure you include all causes such as:

• Primary cause (i.e. a spill on the floor that caused a slip and fall)
• Secondary causes (i.e. employee not wearing appropriate work shoes)
• Other contributing factors (i.e. burned-out light bulb in the area)

4. Recommend

After you have uncovered the facts, determined the sequence, and analyzed the causes of the accident, you will most likely be able to make recommendations. Your recommendations for corrective action may be immediate and/or long-term. Overall, they are suggestions on how to prevent this accident from happening again. Recommendations could include:

• Employee training on safe work practices
• Preventive maintenance activities
• Evaluation of job procedures

Writing a construction incident report is important, as it captures the accident in detail. Knowing these 4 basic steps will help make that process easier for your employee who needs to complete it. If you’re interested in learning more or have additional questions about incident reports or other construction claims information, reach out to TSIB today and speak to one of our team members.

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