Knowing how to effectively file incident reports is a critical component for companies that want to cultivate their culture of safety at work. Incident reports are designed to document the important details surrounding an accident, incident, or near miss that happens in the workplace. 

These reports are incredibly useful for informing companies on the real gaps that exist in their safety protocols, ultimately allowing them to address these issues by implementing new policies and protocols to prevent future incidents from occurring. 

In this article, we cover three of the most common incident report types and the corresponding report templates that you can use. Continue reading for examples and templates to use when these types of incidents happen at your workplace:

• Basic Incident Report
• Field Incident Report
• Construction Accident Investigation Report

Basic incident report template & sample

If you need a basic template to get started, make sure to check out our basic incident report template that’s free to get started with using the GoCanvas app store. Our template includes the most common information to include in a basic incident report and it can be fully customized to meet your company’s specific requirements.

What are basic incident reports used for?

Basic incident reports work for a variety of types of incidents, giving you a flexible template that can be used for different types of accidents, near misses, or injuries. A basic incident report template should include all the essential details that you and the investigative teams will need to fill out following the incident. 

How often basic incidents occur 

Wondering how often basic incidents occur? If you look at the most recent findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it shows that the rate of recordable incidents in the private industry was at 2.8 percent among full-time workers. The data shows that nearly 900,000 incidents resulted in lost time when looking across all of the reported incidents in a given year.

Key info for basic incident reports

A basic incident report needs to include all the details the investigative team will need to evaluate during their review, including: 

• Location, date, and time of the incident
• Witnesses and their contact information 
• Witness testimonies 
• Those involved in the incident
• Actions that were taken post-incident 
• Injuries incurred
• Medical treatment administered 

Field incident report template & sample

When an incident happens in the field a report must be filled out and sent to the proper authorities. Get started for free on the GoCanvas app store, using our field incident report template that allows your field teams to use a mobile device or tablet when submitting their reports.

What are field incident reports used for? 

You will need to use a field incident report for any work-related injuries that occur offsite or outside of company property. Field incident claims are typically more complicated than claims filed for an on-site incident. With that in mind, you should make sure to be thorough when collecting the details of a field incident to ensure that claims are efficiently processed.

Key info for field incident reports

In addition to all the information included on a basic incident report, field incident reports should also include the location of the accident and the address of the workplace.

Construction accident investigation report template & sample

The perfect tool for any construction company is available through the GoCanvas app store using our construction accident investigation template. Use this resource so that your construction company is prepared when a workplace accident occurs.

What are construction accident investigation reports used for?

You know that the construction industry presents a wide range of hazards and dangers. Construction accident investigation reports are crucial to identifying weak points in safety protocols and they can actually help your business establish better safety practices. These reports can help your company and they can also help inform the entire construction industry on how to better minimize injuries on job sites. 

How often construction accidents occur 

If you look at data provided by OSHA, you will see that construction accidents are the most common type of reportable incident and about 20 percent of fatalities in private industry are in construction. The most commonly violated OSHA standard is fall protection, which falls under the construction sector. 

Key info for construction accident reports

In addition to all the information required on a basic incident report form, a construction accident investigation report should also include the name of the contractor, the name of site foreman, and any violations that were issued. 

Additional templates available for all your use cases

Documenting incidents and injuries is crucial for promoting a culture of safety in the workplace. With incident report templates on hand, you’ll be able to document any accidents when they happen, and your team can work to improve its protocols for a safer workplace. 

If you’re looking for additional incident report templates that we didn’t cover in this article, be sure to check out more examples of incident reports in our app store. We have hundreds of pre-built forms to help you get started and our product has a variety of features that will fit all your business needs.

Consistent Documentation

Every day on a jobsite brings different challenges and risks. It is important that no matter the circumstances, your crew is being provided consistent messaging as well as capturing consistent information.

Safety management software helps your team maintain consistency in delivering and documenting data. Standardized forms with required fields and established checklists ensure that the proper information is conveyed and collected for every situation. 

Safety software also helps with accuracy, so when the same tasks are repeated, workers can focus on the procedure without forgetting key pieces of information.

Remote Access 

There are times when your teams will have to report to multiple locations, or be spread out across massive worksites. This presents a challenge to make sure the latest safety forms and regulations are distributed in a timely manner.

With many safety software solutions, your crew can get the latest versions of necessary forms on their mobile devices or company tablets. Workers can rapidly complete incident or hazard reports and send them directly to your office systems, so you can keep your team aware and safe.

Efficient and Streamlined Reporting

So much time is wasted trying to collect paper forms from various jobsites, not to mention the amount of effort needed to decipher, catalog, and report on data from multiple sources. 

With the right safety management software, you won’t lose time to waiting for paper forms from daily briefings to be returned at the end of the day or managing documents from multiple worksites. Any standard forms completed by your team can be immediately sent via the safety software, which means you can store and track important data in a single system. 

Improved Compliance

When it comes to keeping your team safe, it is vital that workers stay up-to-date on the latest OSHA regulations and compliance issues. As you are sharing this information, it is also important to be able to confirm and track who has attended daily briefings, completed certifications, and other safety program milestones.

Safety management software often includes required attendance logs, so you can collect the names and IDs of every employee at each worksite to ensure they are present for the latest daily briefings and toolbox talks. Plus, you can capture details related to the jobsite location, project manager, as well as date and time stamps for every briefing.

Digital safety forms can also include an integrated signature capture field, which means you can have employees verify their attendance and you can collect signatures from your foreman and any safety representative who makes an onsite visit, ensuring compliance measures are met for every situation.

Increased Customer and Employee Confidence

When workers know that their safety is a priority within your business, worksite morale inevitably goes up. Your crew and contractors want to know that their well-being is an important aspect of daily operations. 

Safety management software ensures that your team is informed of the latest potential risks and related precautions, so they know how to stay safe and have confidence that their safety is a priority. 

Using safety software can also provide real-time visibility of your current Certification Programs (including expiration dates and IDs) and active incident reporting. You can quickly share safety program data with customers, fulfilling SLA requirements so you can get jobs done faster while keeping your team safe.

Looking for a safety management software that will provide these benefits to your team? GoCanvas Safety includes pre-built digital forms so you can streamline your planning and ensure that you collect accurate and complete information for every job. Customizable reports and turn-key dashboards mean you can regularly audit and update your safety program, so you can focus on the human factors to keep your team safe. Learn more here.