Lesson 20: Incident reports

Incident Report
► An incident is any event which is not part of the standard
operation in or service provided by an organization. In
general, an incident may fulfill one or more of the
following conditions:
► a. It causes, or may cause, an interruption of the
operation of the organization or the service it provides.
► b. It reduces or may reduce the quality of the operation or
the service.
► c. It causes or may cause harm or damages to the
stakeholders of the organization.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

► What is an incident report?

► What are the types of an incident report?
► How is incident report prepared?
Incident Report
► An incident report needs to include all the essential
information about the accident or near-miss. The process
of writing the report starts with finding the facts and ends
with recommendations to prevent repeating or having the
same incidents in the future.
► The incident should be described on the report in
sufficient details that any reader can clearly picture what
happened. Creating a diagram to show, in a simple and
visually effective manner, the sequence of events related
to the incident and include this in your incident report
must be considered. Also the inclusion of photos of the
accident scene, which may help readers follow the
sequence of events. (University of Western Ontario
Ombuds Office, Frances Bauer, Ombudsperson.)
Types of Incident Report

► There are different types of incidents in

different disciplines. Within the IT domain,
incidents can vary from system failures,
phishing attacks, loss of or damages to
data. In an engineering project, an incident
may include mechanical failures, injuries,
flaws in design, delays, and so on.
Steps in creating an incident report:

1. First, Find the Facts

► Gather and record all the facts. These includes:
► Date of Incident
► Time of Incident
► Location/Place where the incident occurred
► Names, Job titles and Department of the employees
involved together with name of the supervisors
First Step- continuation
► Names of witnesses
► Events leading up to the incident
► Environmental conditions (e.g. slippery floor,
inadequate lighting, noise, etc.)
► Circumstances including tasks, equipment, tools,
materials.
► Specific injuries including the type of treatment for
injuries
► Damage to equipment, materials, etc.
2. Next, Determine the Sequence
► Based on the facts, determine the sequence of events in detail such
as:
► Events leading up to the incident. 
► Was the employee walking, running, bending over,
squatting, climbing, lifting operating machinery,
pushing a broom, turning a valve, using a tool or
handling hazardous materials?
► Events involved in the incident. 
► Was the employee struck by an object or caught
in/on/between objects? Did the worker fall on the
same level or from a height? Did the employee inhale
hazardous vapors or get splashed with a hazardous
chemical
Next…

► Events immediately following the incident. 

► What did the employee do?
► How did other co-workers respond?
► Did they call for help, administer first aid,
shut down equipment, move the victim,
etc.?
3. Then, Analyze the data
► The report should include an in-depth analysis of
the causes of the accident. Causes include:
► Primary cause (i.e. a spill on the floor that caused
a slip and fall)
► Secondary causes (i.e. employee not wearing
proper labor shoes or carrying a load of material
that blocked vision)
► Other contributing factors (i.e. burned out light
bulb in the area)
4. Make Recommendation/s
► Recommendations for corrective action might include
immediate corrective action as well as
long-term corrective actions such as:
► Employee training on safe work practices
► Preventive maintenance activities that keep equipment
in good operating condition
► Evaluation of job procedures with a recommendation
for changes
► Conducting a job hazard analysis to evaluate the task
for any other hazards and then train employees on
these hazards.
Importance oftopics
► Highly technical Incident Reports
can be presented using words and
diagrams.
► Written material provides a permanent record that can be
referred to from time to time or passed on to others.
► Written material can be duplicated in large quantities or
distributed on the Internet relatively inexpensively.
► It is fairly easy to distribute written material to many people, but
this practice is getting increasingly expensive and its effectiveness
questionable.
► Written material is preferred when it is desirable to get the same
information to a group of people.
► Written records and reports are sometimes useful in legal matters.
► Written material may be useful for documenting the success or
progress of some project or activity.
Some issues and concerns about incident
report .
► The preparation of written documents is time-consuming.
► Once prepared in large quantities, printed documents are
difficult to change.
► Written material provides little feedback for the sender.
► Technical documents are often too long and complex for
the majority of readers.
► A portion of the population may not be able to read
written material.
► Too much reliance on written material as a
communication method may obscure the true needs of
potential users.
Key Points
► Guidelines in making an incident report:
► Be Factual, include real detail but avoid dramatizing the situation.
► Be Specific
► Include any documentation required by policy or needed to
substantiate your claims. If documentation is being sent by a third
party, state that with details.
► Stick to the Point: Don’t clutter the letter with information or requests
that have no essential connection to the main message.
► Be Brief
► Avoid errors
► Keep copies of the incident report
► There are five steps in preparing incident report; finding facts,
determining the sequence of events, analyzing the facts, and making
recommendation.
► All essential information should be considered in preparing an incident
report.