Incident reporting as the name suggests is the process of recording and reporting incidents, accidents, near misses, and ill-health in the workplace.
If you are an employer, then it's important to be aware that the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) state you must keep an accident book and record an over-three-day injury. There must be a sufficient record for the purposes of RIDDOR according to the HSE.
In short, incidents, accidents, near-misses, and ill-health should be logged and recorded, because as an employer you have a legal obligation to do so, as outlined by the HSE.
Information provided on incident reports can be used by your organisation as an aid to risk assessment, which can help you to implement additional control measures, and solutions for potential risks.
Traditionally, incidents have been reported using an accident book, pen or paper, and stored away. This process, however, can be, so much more efficient with our free incident reporting module.
Using our free incident reporting software, you'll be able to seamlessly report ill-Health, Near Miss reports and of course Injury / Accident reports.
The PDF produced can be either downloaded or emailed at no extra cost using our safety software. It's available for anybody to use worldwide. Available on iOS, Android or Online we've designed our incident reporting module to make the process of reporting incidents or accidents as quick and easy as possible, while ensuring detailed information can be captured.
I'll let The HSE answer this one, the HSE state "reporting and recording are legal requirements. Reports tell the enforcing authorities for occupational health and safety (HSE and local authorities) about serious incidents and cases of disease. This means they can identify where and how risks arise and whether they need to be investigated."
Note: the information provided in this article derives from the HSE, and is correct at the time of publishing. The information here is provided as a guide and as general background information, this article should not be taken as legal advice.
Carla Crocombe is the Founder and Managing Director of Safety Rocks Limited. She is an experienced occupational health and safety professional, alongside being a dedicated tutor. Carla regularly presents webinars and events as a specialist in her field. Safety Rocks Limited delivers bespoke in-company health, safety, environmental and management training with the objectives of improving safety culture, reducing accidents and incidents, increasing employee engagement and ultimately saving companies time and money".
