Incident report form

When something goes wrong at an event, a program session or a volunteer shift, a written record made the same day is worth far more than memories a month later. It helps you look after the person involved, tell your insurer what happened, spot patterns, and show that you responded properly. This form works for accidents and injuries, near misses, property damage, and concerns about someone's safety or behavior.

When to use it

• Someone is hurt or becomes ill during your activities, even slightly.
• Something nearly caused harm (a near miss), such as a loose step or a spill.
• Property is damaged, lost or stolen.
• There's a complaint, threat, or behavior that worried someone.
• Someone raises a concern about the safety of a child or an adult at risk.

What to do first

1. Make people safe. Give first aid, and call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt or in danger.
2. Report safeguarding concerns straight away to your safeguarding lead, and to the authorities where your state's law requires. Our volunteer screening and safeguarding guide explains mandatory reporting. Don't investigate abuse yourself.
3. Fill in this form the same day, while details are fresh. Stick to facts: what you saw and heard, not guesses or blame.
4. Tell your insurer promptly if there's an injury, damage or a possible claim. Your policy may set a deadline for notice; check it. Our insurance basics guide explains the policies small charities carry.

If an employee is seriously hurt

These rules are for employees. OSHA says "all employers are required to notify OSHA within 8 hours after the employee's work-related death, or within 24 hours when an employee suffers a work-related in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye." That applies even to employers "exempt from routinely keeping OSHA records due to company size or industry." Separately, OSHA says "many employers with more than 10 employees are required to keep a record of recordable work-related injuries and illnesses." Under 29 CFR 1904.1, if your organization had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, you don't need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells you in writing; some industries are also partially exempt. If you have no employees, these OSHA rules don't apply to you, but this form is still worth using. OSHA says many states run their own workplace safety programs and "reporting requirements may vary by state," and your workers' compensation insurer will have its own reporting process, so check both.

Keeping the records

• Keep the form private. It may include health information and names. Store it where only the people who need it can see it.
• Keep it as long as your retention policy says, and longer if there may be a claim. Ask your insurer or lawyer. See our document retention policy.
• Review incidents together every few months, and fix what keeps going wrong.
• If the incident could become public, see our crisis communications guide before anyone talks to the press.