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Incident Report
An incident report records an event and supporting information for review or investigation, rather than establishing its cause by itself.
An incident report is a documented account of an event and the information collected about it. In the workplace context used here, it can record when and where the event occurred, observations, accounts from involved people and supporting records.
The report supplies information for an investigation. Recording what was observed is distinct from determining the underlying causes or deciding on corrective actions. A report about one event is also different from an organization's standing incident-response plan.
Source: OSHA: Incident Investigations, A Guide for Employers (2015).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does completing an incident report establish the root cause?
Not by itself. OSHA's guide separates documenting and collecting information from determining root causes and implementing corrective actions. Those are different parts of an investigation.
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