how to make an incident report template

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Blog Human Resources How to Write an Effective Incident Report [Templates]

How to Write an Effective Incident Report [Templates]

Written by: Victoria Clarke Jun 13, 2023

We all do our best to ensure a happy and healthy workforce. That’s why, in a perfect world, you would never have to create an incident report.

But since incidents do happen, it’s never a bad idea to be prepared for any situation–especially the unexpected.  

Small business owners, human resources teams and workplace emergency first responders: this is the article for you! 

In this step-by-step guide, I’ll share our top tips on creating incident reports that will help you carry out effective investigations and make sure similar (or more serious) incidents don’t happen again.  I’ll also include our top incident report templates to get the job done.

Table of Contents:

• What is an incident report?

What to include in a work incident report?

• How to write an incident report?
• Incident report examples, templates and design tips
• Simple incident report template
• COVID-19 employee incident report templates

All of the templates in this post can be customized using our easy online  incident report maker  tool. It’s free to sign up, many of our templates are free to use too.

What is an incident report? 

An incident report is a form to document all workplace illnesses, injuries, near misses and accidents. An incident report should be completed at the time an incident occurs no matter how minor an injury is.

Here’s one example:

Any illness or injury that impacts an employee’s ability to work must be noted. The specifics of what is required by law to be included in an incident report will vary depending on the federal or provincial legislation that affects your workplace.

If you’re unsure, you can take a look at your government’s website for more details. In certain cases, there are exceptions that can exempt small businesses from complying with such legislation. 

A well-structured incident report typically includes the following five key elements:

• Date, time and location: Provide specific details about when and where the incident occurred. This helps establish a timeline and context for understanding the event.
• Description of the incident: Clearly describe what happened, including relevant details such as the sequence of events, the people involved and any contributing factors. Use objective language and avoid assumptions or opinions.
• Witness information: Include names and contact information for any witnesses to the incident. Their accounts can provide valuable perspectives and corroborate details.
• Action taken: Outline any immediate actions taken to address the incident, such as first aid, evacuation procedures or contacting emergency services. Documenting these responses is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of the initial response.
• Recommendations for prevention: Offer suggestions on how similar incidents can be prevented in the future. This proactive approach demonstrates a commitment to improving safety and mitigating risks.

How to write an incident report ?

It’s important to establish a systematic method for investigating incidents.  

It’s also equally important to have a report prepared that enables you to record every relevant aspect of the incident details–this is the essential first step in the incident reporting process.  

After you’ve created your incident report form, you can: 

• Begin your investigation with fact-finding 
• And end your investigation with determining recommendations for preventing both an increase in the severity of the incident and the possibility of a recurrence.  

To write any incident case reports, follow the basic format described below.

1. Take immediate action 

Employees of your organization should notify their manager or another member of the company’s leadership committee as soon as an incident occurs–regardless of the nature of the event (whether it be an accident, illness, injury or near miss).  

That being said, there need to be communication channels clearly defined to promote the practice of employees coming forward in these situations and the importance of such.

Once an incident has been reported, the member of leadership’s first responsibility is to ensure that appropriate treatment, if necessary, is being administered to those affected by the event.  

On this note: if the hazard still exists, the manager that the event has been reported to must eliminate the hazard by controlling it. Each company should have a defined procedure for accomplishing this based on the nature of their work. 

For example, if there was a spill that caused a fall. You would attend to the victim and promptly have the spill wiped up and identify the area as a hazard by using a sign.

2. Collect the facts 

Once the immediate action including the response to the event and eliminating the hazard from the environment has been conducted, it’s time to determine and record the facts related to the incident details. 

9 facts related to the incident include: 

1. the basics.

Identify the specific location, time and date of the incident. This information is fundamental to the investigation and the most obvious information to collect. 

2. The affected

Collect details of those involved and/or affected by the incident. This would entail recording the name(s) of the individual(s) involved, their job title(s), the department(s) they operate in the manager(s) of those affected. 

3. The witnesses

Speak to any witnesses of the event to collect their perspectives of the event. Record their statements as detailed and accurate as possible in the form.  

To ensure accuracy, it’s best practice to review your notes with the witness to ensure they agree with how the event is portrayed in the report. It’s also important to include the name(s) of any witnesses in the report in case any additional questioning is required. 

4. The context

Consider and document the events that occurred leading up to the incident. Ask:

• What was the employee doing? 
• Who asked them to complete the task? How was the employee feeling prior to the incident? …etc. 

It is important to identify which factors were an outcome of the incident and which factors were present prior to the incident and could be a potential contributing factor to the incident occurring.

5. The actions

In the report, you must specify the actions of those involved at the time of the incident. What did the employee do that led to the incident? 

For example, if an employee injured their back when lifting a box at work, it is important to determine how that employee lifted the box to decide if that contributed to the injury. If yes, then inquire if this employee was trained properly for this task and by who or what source.  

6. The environment

Identify and record environmental conditions that contributed to the event. Was there inadequate lighting? Was a piece of equipment not operating properly? Was the employees’ visibility obstructed by a glare or blind spot? Etc. 

7. The injuries

Record detailed descriptions of specific injuries and evaluate the severity of such in the report. This description should include part(s) of the body injured, nature and extent of injuries. 

8. The treatment

It is also important to document in the incident case report the type of treatment administered for the acknowledged injuries. This information is important to document in order to understand how the employee recovers when reviewing the specifics of the event.

9. The damages

Record an account of any damage to equipment, materials, etc that was affected by the incident. This will be helpful to refer back during the analysis of the event in order to consider both a corrective action plan and to determine what items will need to be repaired or replaced. 

3. Analyze and reflect  

Collecting and recording the facts related to the occurrence of the incident will aid in determining how the incident occurred. Analyzing the collected facts related to the incident will aid in determining why the incident occurred. 

Analyzing and determining how and why the incident occurred is essential in order to develop an effective corrective action plan. 

Potential causes for accidents or injuries that occurred in the workplace could include: 

• Primary causes (for example, an unsalted ice patch on a set of stairs that caused a slip and fall). 
• Secondary causes (for example, an employee not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, such as a hard helmet or eyewear).
• Other contributing causes (for example: a burned-out light bulb in the area causing poor visibility). 

4. Establish a corrective action plan 

A corrective action plan would provide recommendations as a means to reduce the possibility of a continued issue and/or recurrence of the incident details. The recommendations would result from an effective analysis of the facts collected and documented in the incident report. 

Elements of an effective corrective action plan could include: 

• Occupational Health & Safety training for employees 
• Preventative routine maintenance processes that ensure equipment is in proper working condition 
• A review of job practices and procedures with a recommendation for changes to reduce the risk of incidents 
• Conducting a job hazard analysis to determine if other potential hazards are associated with the task and/or environment and then training employees on these hazards based on the findings of the assessment 
• Engineering, equipment or PPE changes/upgrades to ensure the task or the process of completing said task poses less risk

Incident report examples and design tips

Here are some examples of types of incident reports to help you get started. I’ve also included some report design tips to help you present your information effectively. If you want to dig a bit deeper into the topic , here’s a comprehensive guide to general report design that I find handy.

Incorporate your branding into your report design

As with any document you create for your business, it’s good practice to incorporate your branding into your incident reports. (Psst– Venngage’s Brand Kit feature makes it easy to add your branding in just a click!) 

Include your brand colors in your design. You can do this by using them in the report header, footer, sidebar and in any visuals. 

You could use your brand colors in the background of your incident report:

You may also want to include your logo, like in this incident report template : 

Organize your information into sections using boxes

To make your information as readable as possible, organize it into sections. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using boxes.

For example, take a look at how these types of incident report templates use boxes to section off the information:

This type of incident report example also uses rectangles to denote section headers:

Color code the sections of your incident case report

Colors aren’t just great for making your reports , presentations and charts more interesting to look at. You can also use color to organize sections of your report and to draw attention to key information. 

For more tips on using color in your designs, read our guide on how to pick colors to communicate effectively .

Add a visual header to your incident report

As part of your company branding, you may want to add a visual header to your reports. For example, this incident case report template uses a neutral photo with a color filter to create a professional header:

You can do this in Venngage by overlaying a photo on a color background and adjusting the opacity of the photo: 

You can use the same effect for sidebars as well: 

Make a mock form to offer new team members as an example

If you’re transitioning in staff or something happens when the individual who owns incident reports is away, it’s very important that there is a process documented . That will ensure that if someone is put on the spot, they can fill in the incident report properly.

It can also be helpful to add brief descriptions of the information in the type of incident report to include in each field. Take a look at how this incident report example offers some brief text to guide the person filling it out:

Use icons to visualize concepts

Icons are small, compact visuals that can be used to reinforce the information in your reports. You can also use them to draw attention to specific fields and important pieces of information. 

For example, this incident case report template uses icons to indicate the purpose of each field:

Incident report examples

Covid-19 employee incident report template.

Blue healthcare employee critical incident report template

Although being prepared for the unexpected is often difficult, preventative measures are the cornerstone of maintaining a happy and healthy working environment for yourself and your workforce.  

Incident reports are not only a defining piece in any company’s incident response protocol, but they provide a means to avoid recurring mishaps and/or inspire change. 

That’s why it is crucial to have a relevant and comprehensive incident report form prepared and on hand for any incident details that may arise. By adhering to your jurisdiction’s legislation and considering the four components prescribed above, you’ll be well-prepared to handle incidents effectively.

The effect of responding to workplace incidents in a timely and detail-oriented manner will not only ensure a safe workplace but also: 

• Reassure your employees that their employer is prepared to take the right steps in any situation 
• Ensure all appropriate parties are fully informed of incidents 
• Establish a record of incidents for future reference 
• Protect both you/your company and your employees from lawsuits and disputes

FAQs about incident reports

What is the purpose of incident reporting.

An incident report is used to describe an event that requires an investigation that needs to be documented.

Types of incident reports

• Accident Reports
• Workplace Incident Report

What are the 4 types of incidents?

Commonly, incidents can be categorized into four main types:

• Accidents: Involving unintended harm, damage or injury.
• Near Misses: Situations where an accident could have occurred but was narrowly avoided.
• Unsafe Conditions: Reports about hazardous or unsafe environments that need attention.
• Unsafe Acts: Documenting incidents involving violations of safety procedures or rules.

Incident reports generally cover a variety of situations and the specific types may vary based on context and industry. It’s important to note that these categories can overlap and the classification may differ depending on the reporting system or industry standards.

More HR guides and templates:

• 12 Powerful Performance Review Examples (+ Expert Tips By an HR Manager)
• 17 Essential Human Resources Poster Templates

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How to Write a Workplace Incident Report (+ Templates)

Written by: Hailey Hudson

From simple falls to hazardous energy to machinery malfunctions, workplace incidents are more common than you might think. In some cases, consequences might be simple, such as a break in productivity. But other times, incidents could have outcomes that are as severe as death.

If an incident occurs in your workplace, it’s your responsibility to write up a workplace incident report that documents the issue. Incident reports are important because they allow company leadership to take corrective action and ensure all employees are safe and efficient moving forward.

You can use an incident report template from Visme to create a professional, branded report that includes the need-to-know information and makes it easy for incident witnesses to file the document. Let’s jump into why incident reports are so important and how to write your own.

Table of Contents

What is an incident report.

• 3 Benefits of Incident Reporting in the Workplace

How to Write a Workplace Incident Report in 4 Steps

10 incident report templates you can download now.

An incident report is a document that explains the details involved in a workplace incident, which is defined as any unexpected event that results in property damage or minor injury. Examples of workplace incidents include:

• An accident
• A near miss (a situation that could have resulted in an injury)
• Anything that violates company policy, affects workplace operations, or poses significant risks to the safety of employees or guests

Incident reports include all of the facts related to the incident, such as the contact information of the people involved; a description of the incident itself; and any follow-up actions that were taken, like medical treatment. These reports are important because they help create a safer workplace where all employees will be better protected.

Any employee that witnesses an incident can file a report. The incident needs to be reported as soon as possible — ideally, within less than 24 hours.

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3 Benefits of Incident Reporting in a Workplace

There are several advantages of creating incident reports in your workplace:

1. Provides Necessary Consequences

In some cases, an incident may require consequences to an employee who engaged in inappropriate behavior. Incident reports help managers know what kind of corrective action they may need to take. These consequences can also help prevent future accidents.

2. Creates Hazard Awareness

Another big benefit of incident reporting: it keeps other employees safe by communicating potential dangers or problems. When an incident report is filed, company managers will be able to pinpoint and straighten out any potential safety issues.

This includes things like machinery that isn’t working, or safety equipment that is lacking. Incident reports help all employees be more aware of possible dangers around them and how to stay safe.

3. Helps Analyze Processes

When a workplace incident is reported, company leadership will be able to analyze the incident, thinking critically about what went wrong and why. From there, you’ll be able to define the next steps necessary to move forward with everyone’s safety in line.

Incident reports also provide insight into what processes could be tweaked or removed to maximize efficiency . The bottom line: Incident reporting helps improve a workplace in multiple important ways.

Looking for an easy way to design a workplace incident report? You can use the Visme creator to make an incident report by either starting from scratch with a completely unique design, or working off of a predefined incident report template that can be customized.

Either way, here’s what you’ll need to do.

1. Gather the Information

As soon as an incident happens, take action to start filing a report. Once the situation is stable and employees are no longer in danger, get all of the information you’ll need. This will include:

• The location, time and date of the incident
• Who was affected, including their job titles and contact information
• What happened (as told by the person affected and/or any witnesses)
• Contributing factors or any relevant contextual or environmental details
• The outcome (such as any injuries sustained, and how these were treated)
• Any damage to equipment or materials

Customize this detailed incident report using Visme’s software, adding additional information or editing what’s there so the incident report better fits your needs.

2. Structure and Organize The Report

Divide up the information you’ve gathered into categories that make sense. Then structure the information in a format that works well visually . Sectioning off different categories into boxes is a good way to do this, making it easy to understand the form at a glance.

Our Visme document creator allows you to drag-and-drop boxes wherever you want to create a structure that’s easy to follow. If you’re using an existing template, just click a box and then drag it around or delete it entirely. You can also add shapes, diagrams or completely change the layout of the form.

3. Include Your Branding

Your incident report form is a business document, so it should be branded just like all of your other business documents. Add your brand colors in the header, footer, and sidebars, and include your logo somewhere on the report.

This branding should include fonts, too, including header fonts and body fonts. It’s best to type the details of an incident report instead of writing by hand so that the report is easy to read and easy to digitally send.

This red-and-black template could be tweaked, keeping the same general structure of the form but adding in colors that work with your brand.

4. Create a Template

Save your finished incident report and keep it on hand for future use. You know incidents are going to happen — so it’s best to be prepared with an incident report that’s ready to go. A little time investment now to make a template that’s comprehensive, branded and visually attractive will pay off later when you don’t have to scramble.

A good incident report template will be usable for any type of incident. It should be easy to follow for any employee who witnesses or is part of an incident. If you feel that it’s necessary, you can add a line to each section explaining what to write in that box.

Get started with your workplace incident report by using one of our templates. Created by professional designers, these premium templates are available for anyone with a Visme account.

Each workplace incident report template can be opened in the Visme editor for quick drag-and-drop customization. Let's take a look at our favorite ones below.

1. Medical Incident Report

Perfect for anyone in the medical or healthcare industry , our medical incident report contains space for all of the relevant information you need to know: patient information, the concerned physician, patient medical history, current injury symptoms, observation and any medical exams or medications administered.

2. Security Incident Report

Stay on top of security with this cybersecurity incident report. This customizable report covers information including the details of the incident, the systems or data affected and whether assistance is needed from information security. With cyberattacks running rampant , it’s good to be prepared in case your business is targeted.

3. Standard Incident Report

Stick to the basics with this no-frills, minimalist incident report. Two simple sections include space for incident information and incident description. This form is a great grab-and-go option if you’re short on time and looking for a predefined report that doesn’t require extra work from your end.

4. Tech Company Incident Report

This five-page incident report ensures you’ll be able to give a comprehensive overview of the situation. After a cover page and table of contents, you’ll find an Incident Description page where you can add the incident details. Next comes Solution Details — fill in how the problem was solved. Finally, if needed you can add a third page explaining the Test Run Results, or what happened when you first gave the solution a go.

5. Detailed Incident Report

If a more complex incident occurred, this detailed incident report may be a good fit to help explain the information. The form is broken down into three primary categories: information about the person being reported, incident description and the cause of the incident. There’s also space to add analytical evaluation and further recommendations.

6. Statement Incident Report

The Statement Incident Report template is brief, but includes all of the necessary information that an incident report needs. Start with the details of the person reporting the incident; then move on to a short description of the event. Finally, add statements from the individuals or parties involved.

7. Employee Incident Report

This report template breaks down an incident based on what actions have already been taken and what else needs to be done. Use the Visme creator to edit the template and add your own branding. Then download as a PDF or share online.

8. Finance Company Incident Report

If you’re a finance company, this sleek tan-and-gray incident report template is for you. This document has space for contact details, a description of the incident (including its causes and whether police were notified) and who reported the event.

9. Workplace Incident Report

Tweak the colors and fonts to make this workplace incident report your own. Four simple sections are included against a white background: Add the relevant employee information, incident information, reporter information and tick off whether the police were notified.

10. Factory Incident Report

Incidents commonly occur in workplaces like factories where employees are working with machinery. Keep a copy of this factory incident report on hand in case it’s needed. This two-page report spans everything you need to know, with sections marked off in boxes to help with readability.

Create Your Own Incident Report

Use Visme’s online document creator to make your own incident report in minutes, working from one of our incident report templates or creating your own. Our live data integration allows you to connect charts to live data such as Google Sheets.

For example, if you want to track the number of incidents at your company or other information that might change regularly, you can have this data automatically updated from an external source. You can also utilize 3D graphics and gestures to improve visual cues for incidents.

And you aren’t limited to just incident reports — Visme can be used to create any kind of worksheet , report or document used in your workplace. Keep your employees and teammates safe by properly filing workplace incident reports whenever needed.

Create a professional incident report for your workplace.

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About the Author

Hailey Hudson is a full-time freelance writer and content marketer based out of Atlanta, Georgia, where her cat acts as coworker and supervisor. Hailey writes for clients like the BEE email editor, Kicksta, LYFE Marketing, and anyone else who will let her nerd out about digital marketing.

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How to create an incident report (best practices & templates).

It would be nice if we existed in a wonderful land of sunshine and rainbows, where no one ever got hurt and nothing ever went wrong, but it only takes one look at the news to know that’s not happening any time soon.

Things go wrong. It’s a part of life. Every single day cars crash, printers malfunction, roofs collapse and workplace injuries of all shapes and sizes occur around the globe.

Since incidents do happen, it’s a good idea to be prepared for any situation that may arise. It’s like when it rains—you can’t control the weather, but you can sure carry an umbrella.

Whether you’re battling the weather or workplace safety, being prepared is half the battle. In this blog post we’ll outline how to create an incident report to help ensure your work environment is safe and you're prepared when incidents inevitably occur.

What is an incident report?

An incident report is a form used to record the details of any event that caused or might have caused injury, illness or damage to a person or piece of company property.

Incident report forms usually relate to an accident or injury occurring in the workplace, but can be used for a variety of reasons, from near misses and property damage to health and safety issues, security breaches and workplace misconduct.

They are an essential tool in the investigation that takes place when things go wrong. For example, after the Rebellion destroyed the Death Star at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope , the Empire would have had his hands full with lots of incident reports.

They aim to determine the facts of the event, locate the root cause of the incident and help you figure out corrective actions that could remove potential risks and stop the same type of incident happening in the future.

Incident forms can also be used as preventative reports to highlight any potential hazards found in your workplace and stop incidents before they happen—it’s like that Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report , where they stop crimes before they take place.

The best thing about incident reports is that they’re democratic. Any employee can fill one out whether something has happened to them, they have witnessed something happen to a co-worker, or want to raise awareness about something they think could be hazardous and lead to an incident in the future.

While the idea is simple to get your head around, there are certain things you have to include if you want to write an effective incident report. This way you can ensure the safety, morale and productivity of your employees .

The key elements of a good incident report

There are lots of features that combine to make a well-written incident report. But the first and most important is that you take immediate action. Whether someone stubbed their toe or a more serious workplace incident has taken place, you need to write the report as soon as the event occurs.

By starting straight away you’ll get a more accurate depiction of what happened from any witnesses and victims. Not only that, depending on where you live, there’s a chance you’re legally bound to complete the incident reporting process in a certain period of time.

Once you start, there’s one word to keep in mind: details .

Your main responsibility when writing an incident report is noting down every minute detail you can think of. You know that grandparent you have that takes three hours to recount a story because they’re bogged down in every little thing? That needs to be you.

Here's a quick overview of the kind of details to include:

• The type of incident
• A general description of the incident (written as a sequence of events)
• The date and time of the incident
• The full names and details of any witnesses and/or victims
• Witness statements
• Any medical treatment required
• Photo or video evidence of evidence/damage/wrongdoing

If you’re in doubt whether to add something, the general rule is to just add it. Have you ever seen a crime movie where the detective says, “Geez, I wish we had less evidence”? No. It doesn't exist. You never know what seemingly insignificant thing might come in handy in the future.

Speaking of law enforcement, remember that you’re not there to hunt for suspects or lead a witch hunt. It's not a police report . If someone is at fault you can follow up in the future, but when you’re writing your report it’s your job to get an objective description of the incident . That’s all.

Plus, if you’re throwing accusations around and looking for someone to blame, the chances are your employees won’t want to participate in the investigation or provide honest witness statements.

Concentrate on the facts and try not to get caught up in feelings and opinions. People have a right to be angry or upset when something goes wrong, whether it’s a minor injury or something more serious, but emotions tend to obscure the truth.

An easy way to avoid inaccuracy is by sticking to the essential questions - who, what, when, why, where and how. These will probably ring a bell from your childhood English class. Ask not only the people who were injured or involved, but also any witnesses that happened to be at the location of the incident.

Be sure to include plenty of photos, videos, diagrams and even illustrations as evidence. Smartphones make this easy, so there's no excuse. Take photos of the injury, the damage, the guy standing around sipping his latte—anything and everything.

Visual evidence trumps most other forms of record-keeping because it’s nearly impossible to argue with. People can rescind statements or fight over the details of what happened, so it helps to have things on camera. It’s a safety net for both you and your employees.

The icing on the cake of a good incident report is validation. No, not the kind where someone says you look nice. This is where you get everyone involved in the incident (e.g. victims, witnesses, managers, human resources etc.) to sign off on the report. By doing so they’re validating that, as far as they know, the incident report is completely accurate.

To sum that all up in easy-to-digest dot points, when writing your incident report you should make sure it’s:

• Supported by visual evidence

Why is correct incident reporting so important?

When done correctly incident reports promote, encourage and improve workplace safety. They help your business stand out from the pack by creating a safe working environment and a great culture for your employees to work and flourish in. This happens in a few ways.

Discouraging improper actions

Incident reports encourage or discourage actions when they happen. Let’s say one of your employees on a job site forgot to wear the correct personal protective equipment (PPE). By documenting and reporting the details you can figure out what measures need to be taken and how it can be avoided next time.

Through the incident reporting process you highlight the seriousness of what has taken place - even if someone hasn’t been hurt. This acts as a reminder to other employees that safety is serious, and events need to be reported no matter the outcome.

Of course there is also the additional benefit of making sure that correct medical treatment is offered as soon as possible. Having staff aware of incident reporting processes increases the chance of proper first aid being administered immediately.

Hazard awareness

Incident reports also call attention to potential threats, risks and hazards and put them on the radar of all employees within your organization. Doing so allows you to put measures in place to prevent or mitigate danger as much as possible. This makes incident reporting a particularly important tool for high-risk construction, manufacturing and mining industries.

Even offices, where seemingly the biggest ‘danger’ is the local café running out of almond milk, can be full of potential threats like loose cables, faulty machines and equipment, poor employee behaviour and incorrect PPE.

Making sure your incident reporting system is correct helps you understand hazards, put procedures in place to deal with them and teaches employees to spot threats and deal with them as soon as possible.

Improving safety processes

A good incident report shows what your organization needs to focus on fixing. It gives you insights into processes that need to change, improve or be kicked to the curb. Maybe you need to implement new policies and regulations. Maybe you need to train your employees in certain skills, or provide them with better equipment.

Whatever the case, with a proper incident report you’ll be able to assess your needs and adapt your processes depending on what findings you make. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to assess how these changes have contributed positively or negatively to the safety and quality of the workplace.

Types of incidents that need to be reported

As you can imagine there’s a huge array of incidents that should be reported. This includes everything from fatalities and minor injuries to property damage and things that didn't actually happen at all.

If you’re serious about workplace safety (which of course you are) all employees, managers and safety supervisors need to be aware of incidents that have to be reported.

Let’s take a look at a few of the main incident reports that you need to familiarize yourself with.

Injury incident report

No matter what you do, sometimes injuries happen that require on-site treatment or a trip to the hospital. Most of the time things will be sorted with a band-aid from the first aid kit and workers can return to work immediately, but sometimes more serious injuries occur.

Whether it’s a minor injury or something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre , it’s vital that you create a comprehensive incident report. If you work in an industry that’s vulnerable to physical injuries of all kinds, like construction, you better get used to filling these in.

When creating an injury incident report, concentrate on a description of the incident, try to include lots of photos and record whether proper PPE gear and protocols were followed.

injury incident report form

Near miss incident report.

Near miss reports are for when someone could have been injured or property could have been damaged, but through pure luck it didn’t happen.

Let’s say someone in the office spills a glass of water and doesn’t clean it up. You slip on the puddle, but manage to catch yourself before falling over. Yes you’ve saved yourself from an embarrassing fall, but you’ve also had a near miss. Time to create an incident report.

These reports are important to mitigate future risks and prevent more serious events from taking place. Make sure to note the time and date of  the incident, details about the hazard and if any other people were involved.

near miss incident report form

Employee misconduct incident report.

An employee misconduct form is something that hopefully you won’t have to deal with. It is a type of incident report reserved for when an employee has violated company policy. This could be anything from sharing private company information on social media to abusing or sexually assaulting a colleague.

As a general rule this form should be filled out and sent to your human resources department . Usually these will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, unless the accusation is serious, then it can be forwarded to law enforcement.

For that reason the report needs to be extra detailed. Include extensive information about the misconduct or allegation, include witness testimony and any supporting evidence like video footage, emails or text messages.

Want to make your own incident report today?

Try Paperform for free

Accident report

While an incident refers to any event big or small, intended or otherwise, an accident is an event caused by a mistake or plain old bad luck. Accident reports cover events like fires, car accidents, equipment malfunctions and when Karen from accounting spills her smoothie.

Accidents are the most common report you’ll fill out because most people don’t intend to do the wrong thing or hurt themselves. But just because they don’t mean to doesn’t mean there's no value for your business.

Let’s say someone forgets to wear their hardhat on a job site and hits their head. That was an accident - they didn’t mean to forget their hat and certainly didn’t mean to bang their head. But what can this tell you about your processes? Maybe you need to store hats in a more obvious location? Or maybe you need to have the foreman check PPE before work?

Accident incident reports (say that five times fast) are one of the best ways to assess your workplace safety processes and minimize the potential hazards and risks your employees face.

accident report form

Exposure incident report.

A couple of years ago, an exposure incident report was a niche report type used in the scientific and healthcare fields to report exposure to dangerous chemicals and pathogens.

But 2020 was a special year for many reasons and low and behold, thanks to COVID-19, exposure incident reports are now the 'it' thing in the incident reporting world. With countries on lockdown, over a million global deaths and large and small companies being affected around the world, tracking and monitoring instances of Coronavirus exposure is extremely important.

If someone is even suspected of having COVID-19 you should write an exposure incident report straight away. Make sure you mark down any colleagues that came into contact with the person, as well as the exact time, date and location so you can track the spread of the virus.

This ensures you’ll keep your workplace - and the wider world - safe, healthy and coronavirus-free. (COVID-19 is stressful to deal with. If you need any COVID-19 forms, we have a whole collection to help you out ).

first aid report form

Incident report template.

No one wants to sit down and fill out an ugly, boring paper document. The easier your forms are to fill out, the more effective they'll be at capturing information accurately. Paperless is the future. That's where Paperform comes in.

Paperform’s sample incident report template makes it easy to create your own report that's relevant to your field, customized with your brand logo and colors and a breeze for your employees to fill in.

incident report form

If you haven't written an incident report before, the template above is pre-filled with relevant questions to give you an idea of what to ask. You can use different text fields to collect different forms of information - from email addresses and specific dates to long responses and Yes/No buttons to speed up the process.

The Yes/No option seems simple, but it allows what's called conditional logic to make the form magically adapt to the answer it receives. Let's say you include the question, 'Were there any injuries?'

You can set it up so the respondent sees different options depending on how they answer. If they answer 'Yes' the form will add a box for them to describe the injury, as well as an option to upload images as supporting evidence. If they answer no, they'll be able to move on to the next question.

Another feature is the ability to add esignatures to your form . This allows employees filling out the form to fill out the form and verify their statements in the same place without having to go through a third-party app like DocuSign or the rigmarole of printing, signing and re-uploading it.

Once you're happy with your questions you can customize the form to your liking. Add your brand logo, tweak the colors and fonts and set up an automatic email to explain the next steps to respondents. You can then export your incident report to a third-party app like Google Sheets to analyze your data with the click of a button.

Paperform helps make the incident reporting process more dynamic and intuitive for your respondents. Whether you use the above template to get started or start with a blank canvas, Paperform will help save you time, simplify processes and allow you to concentrate on making your workplace as safe as possible.

Why not get started today with our 14-day free trial ? No credit card required.

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10 Free Incident Report Templates in ClickUp Docs, Word, and Excel

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

February 13, 2024

As much as we all hate to admit it, accidents happen. 🤷🏼‍♀️

And when it comes down to it, accountability and honesty are always the best policies—but that’s a blog for another time! No matter how severe the incident was or even if something major was just narrowly missed, you must record and report the situation.

It sounds a little scary, but it doesn’t have to be.

Incident reporting doesn’t just keep track of your HR department’s top KPI , it ensures that history doesn’t repeat itself and keeps your team operating efficiently, and most importantly, safely .

Your safety is every company’s top priority, so there’s a lot riding on incident reports to tell the entire story including key details, dates, parties involved, circumstances, and follow-ups.

Plus, many companies report to even bigger companies to prove how they’re following safety protocols across the board when it comes to security, first aid, exposure, or damage.

An incident report form or template makes this process significantly easier. These tools can ease your mind in stressful situations by making sure every incident report is filled out providing ways to improve your worklife going forward.

And to find your next incident report form or template, you’ve come to the right place. 🙂

We’ll guide you through the top incident reporting FAQs, top template features to look for, and provide 10 free examples for ClickUp, Word, Excel, and more. 🙌🏼

What is an Incident Report Template?

What makes for a good incident report template, 1. clickup employee incident report template, 2. clickup incident action plan template, 3. clickup security incident report template, 4. clickup it incident report template, 5. clickup simple after action report template, 6. clickup service incident report template, 7. clickup end of day report template, 8. clickup corrective action plan template, 9. microsoft word incident report template, 10. excel incident report template.

Let’s say your team nearly misses a major accident at work. Luckily, no one was hurt—but you’re all a bit shaken and the incident could’ve been avoided altogether.

After everyone’s nerves are settled and cups of water have been distributed, your manager will fill out an incident report detailing exactly what happened.

Instead of opening a blank document, incident management software and a customizable report template will guide you through the next steps.

An incident report form or template is a pre-built and formatted document for managers to record incidents including damage, injuries, workplace safety, close calls, and more. These templates are typically followed from top to bottom and cover the situation’s who, what, where, when, why, and how .

These documents are often stored and tracked using designated HR software to keep monitor HR KPIs over time or even shared with other companies that oversee workplace safety.

All incident reports must include a lot of key details, but no two templates look alike. The same goes for their formatting! Your incident reporting process may revolve around documents , spreadsheets, or forms to gather the necessary information.

Still, there are a few essential features to look for in your next incident report form or template to make sure safety stays at the forefront of your business:

• Rich formatting and styling to support multiple sections, nested pages, tables, or embedded media in the report.
• Collaboration features like live editing with multiple team members, comments within the template to communicate approvals, and @mentions.
• Security, permissions, and sharing to make sure sensitive information stays between the right people.
• Integrations to extend the functionality of your template, bring in additional context through embedding, and keep your reports secure and organized among the rest of your work.

10 Incident Report Templates

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s put your newfound knowledge to the test!

Knowing the qualities of top incident report templates and their role in company safety, comb through some of the best templates on the market today—and access them all directly from this article!

Here are the top 10 free incident report templates to improve safety and security at work for ClickUp , Word, and Excel.

An Employee Incident Report is an important document to file for any incident or incident-related activity involving a current or former employee at a business. It’s commonly completed by the company’s Human Resources (HR) department.

Typically these reports are used to record relevant details such as the date, time, incident type, incident location, parties involved, incident description, and any action taken as a result of the incident.

The ClickUp Employee Incident Report Template will help you create an incident report quickly and standardize the process for recording employee incidents. The Doc breaks down an incident reporting process that’s easy to navigate. These documents can be used for incident tracking, incident analysis, and incident prevention purposes.

An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is a document outlining immediate plans to respond to an incident or emergency. Incident action plans include details such as resources, operational period information, safety considerations, communication protocols , and incident tracking methods .

By using the ClickUp Incident Action Plan Template as a starting point, businesses can save time and ensure that all necessary information is included in each IAP they develop. This will help companies create reliable records of incident-related activity and put effective strategies in place!

The template includes color-coded sections to capture all the information required for approval: 

• Situation Summary : brief summary of the Incident Action Plan
• Execution Plan : Objectives and strategies
• Incident Team Contact Information : Methods of contact for personnel on scene
• Incident Organization List : Operations , Planning , Logistics , and Finance teams
• Incident Assignment List : Tasks for supervisors and team members
• Map/Situation Summary : Incident site/region or other graphics

Incident Plan Approval : Submitted by , Date Submitted , and Signature

A security incident report form captures all the details about any incident or incident-related activities. It also includes key indicators such as urgency level and severity of the incident. This is especially important for high-risk incidents, such as workplace accidents, injuries sustained, and medical treatment situations. 

Security incident reports will help analyze the overall effectiveness of an organization’s security systems and processes. By understanding how incidents occur and how they can be prevented in the future, companies can work towards creating more secure environments for their employees.

Directly share the ClickUp Security Incident Report Template URL among your team or export it for paper filing purposes. You can even protect your ClickUp Docs using the privacy and edit controls to prevent unwanted changes to the report information! 🔐

By tracking all incidents with accurate data points over a period of time, enterprises can gain a better understanding of security trends within their environment and develop effective strategies for addressing them in the future.

Learn how to reduce cyber security risks in remote project management !

An IT incident report is an internal document companies use to record and monitor IT incident-related information. By having comprehensive incident reports that are detailed and accurate, companies can identify incident trends which help them improve the response process and ensure compliance with legal requirements. 

Additionally, these documents help IT teams collaborate more effectively on incident response efforts while improving containment and resolution times. In turn, organizations save reliable records of all past incidents associated with their environment which can be used to assess current security posture and plan for future threats accordingly.

The ClickUp IT Incident Report Template includes a detailed description, a checklist, subtasks, and Custom Fields any manager can use to create a thorough, effective reporting of an IT incident. This task template provides a structure for developing your report, but it’s completely customizable to fit your organizational processes and procedures!

An After-Action Report is a strategic document used to evaluate and review the success or failure of a project, activity, or event. It is designed to assess both the positive and negative results to analyze what went well and what could have been improved.

And with the ClickUp Simple After Action Report Template , you’ll cover all your bases with this detailed Doc. The report is divided into four subpages:

• Exercise Overview
• Core Capability Analysis
• Core Capability Report
• Improvement Plan

Whether you’re new to After Action Reports or need new ideas to make an impact on stakeholders, this is a great template to work through on your own or with your team!

A service report is a document detailing the activities and result of a service. A properly completed service report can be an invaluable tool for businesses and customers. It provides documentation of the services performed, which helps businesses track service history and maintain customer satisfaction. For customers, it acts as a record of the service that was performed and any changes or improvements made. 

The ClickUp Service Report Template is designed to enhance the description process with embedding features, rich text editing, media file sharing, and more. The task template is prebuilt with the general details of an acceptable service report, but feel free to customize it even further so it meets your organization’s standards.

Discover the top issue tracking software to resolve customer concerns!

An End of Day Incident Report is an incident document generated at the end of each business day. These reports contain detailed incident information such as incident severity level, impacted assets or systems, involved personnel or teams, and an incident timeline.

Additionally, these reports provide insight into the incident resolution process, corrective actions taken by the organization, and any lessons learned . They also allow organizations to gain an understanding of their incident trends over a longer period of time and plan for threats in advance. 

The ClickUp End of Day Report Template is a great starter option for businesses looking to identify gaps or weaknesses in response processes that should be addressed in order to improve containment and resolution times in the future. It comes with a self-assessment for the employees to rate their productivity, their backlogs, and tasks for the next day.

Check out the Getting Started guide for tips and examples to make it your own!

A Corrective Action Plan is a set of steps designed to identify, correct, and prevent the recurrence of potential or existing errors and problems. This plan outlines the strategies that an organization should take in order to remediate the incident and restore normal operations. The plan typically includes actions such as root cause analysis , data documentation, risk management practices, and incident closure activities.

It’s sometimes a time-consuming process to get everyone on the same page. Especially when information can be used for regulatory reporting purposes and court cases if needed. Try the ClickUp Corrective Action Plan Template to align communication and tasks to save time! 

The main elements of a CAP in this Whiteboard template are organized to shorten the time it takes from identifying an incident to implementing a solution:

• Areas for Improvement : Identify the fields around your business operations or team performance that needs changes and attention
• Problems and Root Causes : Define the challenges, roadblocks, and supporting information of each to analyze and develop a solution
• Possible Solutions : Consider every factor involved in your corrective plan, and list down all the possible solutions to make a change for improvement
• Measure of Success : Define your success that’s measurable through key performance indicators or metrics that are applicable and beneficial to your team and overall operations
• Task Owners : Assign specific team members to every task 
• Timeline: Allocate enough time to prepare for change and improvement as you go through this template

A Microsoft Word incident report template is an editable document for workplace incidents and injury accidents. It serves as a starting point for anyone to create new documents quickly, saving them time and effort in formatting the document. 

The template has dedicated sections for key details: the Introduction, Objectives, Incident Information, Methodology, Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendations.

If you’re looking for an incident report template that’s still text-based but not paragraph-heavy, try an incident report in Excel ! This template is organized into four key areas:

• Incident Type Checklist
• Incident Severity Scale
• Incident Categories
• Key Contact Information

As you start to build a library of incident report forms, using Excel will get more difficult. A report template in Excel is not remote or collaboration-friendly, so versional control could get out of hand. Integrate Excel with a project management tool like ClickUp to bring all work in one place. You can access the ClickUp platform anywhere—mobile, desktop, email add-on, and Chrome Extension! 

Stay a Step Ahead of Incidents With Templates by ClickUp

Your safety is every company’s top priority. So when accidents happen, you don’t want your incident report going into a drawer, never to be seen again.

Instead, follow that report, and take steps to make sure preventative measures are taken in the future!

The best way to do this? Find an incident report template that works with software designed to keep your work together, secure, and compliant—like ClickUp. 🙂

ClickUp is the only productivity platform powerful enough to streamline your safety processes, store valuable information, and keep the team aligned on all critical policies. With its own built-in and dynamic document editor, ClickUp is the ideal solution for incident reports of all kinds. Nested pages, live editing, assigned comments, and rich formatting are just a few of the features that make ClickUp Docs so valuable—but the best part? It comes at absolutely no cost.

Explore hundreds of templates for every use case, over 1,000 integrations , and rich reporting features across every pricing plan when you sign up for ClickUp , and watch your team’s productivity soar. 🛫

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Real Examples of Incident Reports at the Workplace with Templates

Accidents can happen, no matter how many preventative measures are in place. And, when accidents do happen, it’s vital to learn from them. To ensure your documentation is spotless, it’s always a good idea to look at some example incident reports at the workplace.

A safety incident report helps ensure nobody is subject to mistreatment because it contains information from the injured employee as well as eyewitnesses. This helps fill in missing pieces of information and figure out how the accident occurred exactly. 

“The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

So, let’s dive in! 

If you’re looking for an example of an incident report at the workplace, feel free to jump to that section using the links below. Otherwise, we will first discuss what incident reports are and why they are so important.

What is a Workplace Incident Report? 

A workplace incident report is a document that states all the information about any accidents, injuries, near misses, property damage or health and safety issues that happen in the workplace. 

They are very important to identify the root cause of an incident along with any related hazards and to prevent it happening again in the future. As soon as an incident takes place and everybody in the workplace is safe, a work incident report should be written up. 

Typically, a workplace accident report should be completed within 48 hours of the incident taking place . The layout of an accident incident report should be told like a story, in chronological order, with as many facts as the witnesses can possibly remember. 

What should you include in an incident report?

There are many different types of incident reports, depending on your industry, but most will include the underlying details listed below in order to understand what happened: 

• The type of incident that took place
• Where the incident happened
• The date, day and time of the incident
• Names of the people involved
• Injuries that were obtained 
• Medical treatment that may have been required
• Equipment that was involved
• Events leading up to the incident that could have contributed to it taking place
• Eyewitnesses that can tell their side of the story

For example…If a chemical was involved in the incident, it should be noted if the victim was wearing appropriate PPE or not, as well as a photograph of the damage and the chemical’s label stating its components. If a workplace vehicle was involved, all information about the vehicle should be noted, and the possible reasons why it occurred if there is no clear answer. Employers should ensure vehicle safety guidelines are adhered to in order to prevent incidents in the workplace. 

If this is an OSHA recordable incident (accident) and the company is exempt from OSHA recordkeeping , the employer must also fill in OSHA Form 300 . This form enables both the employer and the agency to keep a log of the injuries or illnesses that happen in the workplace. It includes crucial information such as the number of working days missed due to injury, the sort of injury that was obtained and if medical treatment was necessary. 

How to Write an Incident Report

It is important to lay out an incident report clearly and concisely with all the relevant information about what happened. The clearer it is to read, the easier it will be to understand the cause of the workplace accident. 

The language used for incident reporting should not be too emotional and should not purposefully put the blame on someone. Here is an incident report example template:

This workplace incident report template includes the basic guidelines and best practices of what to include to make sure the report includes all the details it should. Once a report is written, it should be kept on record in the workplace. 

Incident Report Examples

Depending on the type of workplace incident, the writer will need to include various pieces of information. If you are not sure how to write an incident statement, here are example incident reports for the workplace covering various scenarios. 

Injury Incident Report Example

“At 11.20am on Tuesday 7 th July 2020, a worker, Timothy Johnson, tripped over an electrical wire on the Blue & Green construction site, located on Main Street, Riverside. He was carrying a hammer at the time. 

It is believed the wire should not have been stretched across the ground without safety tape securing it to the ground and drawing attention to it. Timothy fell to the ground and dropped the hammer but did not injure himself with it. He twisted his ankle, which immediately began to swell and scrapped the side of his leg in a minor way. A co-worker came to assist Timothy to his feet and helped him walk to a nearby bench. Timothy could not put his weight on his left foot, so he was taken to a nearby hospital. Once at the hospital, doctors confirmed that Timothy had sprained his ankle and would have to keep the foot elevated and use crutches for the next two weeks. He would not be able to work during this time. 

The foreman for the construction site has assessed the wires on the ground and concluded that brightly colored tape should secure the wires to the ground to draw attention to them and to ensure there are no bumps in the wire that are easy to trip over so that this does not happen again”.

Forklift Accident Report Sample

“On Friday 5 th July 2020, at 3.35pm, a forklift driver, Max White, was driving the forklift he usually drives in the Sunny Side Warehouse, ABC Street, when the front right tire got caught on a piece of wood on the ground, causing the forklift to overturn with Max inside it. 

Luckily a co-worker was nearby to help Max climb out of the right side of the forklift. Max was shaken up and reported that his left shoulder and left side of his neck were hurting him from the impact. Max decided he did not need to go to the hospital as he felt like he would only obtain bruises from his injuries and that they were not severe enough to need medical attention. His manager sent him home for the rest of the day to ensure he did not strain himself further. 

The wood that caused the forklift to overturn had not been stacked properly and has now been moved to a secure location in the warehouse to make sure it does not cause any more issues for forklift drivers”.

Fall Incident Report Sample

“In Fairview Boutique on Friday March 6 th , 2020, Samantha Wright was stacking shelves while standing on a ladder in order to reach the top shelf of handbags at 4.10pm. As she was stretching to place a bag on the shelf, the ladder collapsed from under her and she fell to the ground. Her co-worker heard the loud noise and immediately helped her. Samantha was in a lot of pain and could not get to her feet as she felt lightheaded. An ambulance was phoned, and she was brought to hospital. Samantha obtained a broken right arm, bruised thigh and hip, and a bump to the head that left no major head injury. She was recommended three weeks off work at the minimum by doctors.  The fall was concluded to be of nobody else’s fault but was put down to Samantha accidently overreaching instead of moving the ladder to where she needed to see”. 

Hand Injury Incident Report Sample

“On April 21 st , 2020, at Willow Maintenance, Yellow Abbey Grove, Kyle Jenkins was about to use a miter saw to cut some timber, but when he started to use the saw, it jolted, causing the saw to come down suddenly on his hand. 

Kyle’s left thumb was cut deeply by the saw and he lost a lot of blood. Co-workers came to his aid, turned the saw off and helped him stop the bleeding with tissues. He was then brought to the hospital where he received eight stitches and was told to not use the hand for rigorous work for 4 weeks. The head of Willow Maintenance inspected the saw to check for any issues and see why it came down and cut Kyle’s hand. It appeared that whoever was the last person to use the machine did not put the safety latch back on the saw once they had finished using it. 

If this safety latch was on the saw when Kyle used it, it would not have cut his hand, but rather, automatically shut off once it jolted. The manager decided to take a day to retrain his staff to ensure they adhere to the health and safety guidelines of the company”. 

Exposure Incident Report Sample

“In Woodbell factory, Springville, on Tuesday May 26 th , 2020, Annie Bedley was packaging household cleaning products when a bottle tipped over onto her wrist. 

She got up from her seat to wash off the chemical in the washroom. She then went to her supervisor to show her what had happened. Annie’s wrist was red and itchy but was not burning as she had washed off the remnants of the chemical immediately. Annie’s supervisor brought her to the office to sit with a cold compress on her hand and applied a layer of ointment to treat the burn. Annie did not feel like she would need further medical assistance and agreed with her supervisor that she would need two to three days off work to ensure the burn did not get irritated. 

Annie was wearing appropriate PPE at the time of the incident and no faults were found on the conveyor belt at the packing bay. The incident has been noted as an accident with nobody to blame. Photographic evidence of the burn has been included in this file”.

First Aid Incident Report Sample

“On Friday November 15 h 2019, Arthur Stokes was walking along the corridor between building four and five of Graygrock Inc. when he noticed that there was something sharp sticking through the bottom of his right shoe. 

He stopped to see what it was and found a nail stuck in his shoe. He took his shoe off and lucking was able to pull the nail out as it hadn’t pierced through to his foot and only minorly scraped it. He saw the stairwell was getting new handrails fitted and presumed the nail came from that. He saw two other nails further along the corridor and decided to pick them up to make sure nobody else stood on them. He reported to his manager’s office where he presented the nails and explained the situation. His foot had a small cut, so Arthur’s manager gave him an anti-septic wipe and a band-aid to help him. 

Arthur returned to work while his manager talked to the construction workers about keeping their workspace neat and to prevent any further accidents like this from happening”. 

Incident Report Form Templates

The layout of an incident report forms can vary depending on where the incident took place and the type of injuries. Here are some examples of incident reports at the workplace that you can use. 

Incident Report Form for General Staff (Word/PDF)

This general staff accident report form template can be used in a variety of workplaces. It includes all the necessities to describe a workplace incident to ensure it is recorded correctly. This general form is ideal for any business type. 

Incident Report Form for a Construction Site

This example incident report for the workplace is unique to others as it includes a field for the construction project name and the project manager’s details. This makes it easy to understand where in the construction site the accident occurred and how severe it was.

Incident Report for a Hospital/ Medical Clinic (Word/PDF)

The hospital incident report template is much more detailed than others as it must include accurate information about the staff member or patient’s injuries, where in the hospital it happened and what medical treatment they required.

As you write your workplace incident reports, remember it is not to place blame on one person, but rather record a series of events that have taken place. Sometimes these are pure accidents due to bad luck and, sometimes, there is human error or a technical fault involved. By the way, this is the basis of the Just Culture Algorithm™ which is definitely worth exploring if you’re looking to improve the safety culture at your workplace .

These examples of incident reports at the workplace are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the variety of workplace accidents that can occur. In any case, it’s crucial to record any incidents that arise because this helps create a safer work environment.

References & Further Reading

• OSHA’s Guide for Employers carrying out Incident Investigation
• OSHA’s Injury & Illness prevention Program
• Workplace Injury Information
• Eyewitness Statement Form : Should be included for any eyewitnesses to the incident to aid the investigation.
• Injury Investigation Questions : Should be asked when an employee has been injured at the workplace to understand exactly what happened.
• Incident Investigation Flowchart Procedure: A step by step example of the procedures involved in carrying out a workplace incident investigation.  

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Free Incident Report Templates

By Andy Marker | January 3, 2017

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In this article, we’ve gathered the best incident report templates to provide you with the most comprehensive listing, so you can record and preserve key details of an accident, injury, workplace incident, security breach, or any other type of unforeseen event.

Included on this page, you’ll find a downloadable incident report template , accident incident report template , employee incident report template , and more.

Incident Report Template

Download Incident Report Template

WORD  | Smartsheet

This is a flexible template that can be used to report various types of events including accidents, injuries, workplace incidents, property loss or damage, and close calls. It allows you to record information about all parties involved, details of the incident itself, any law enforcement interaction, witness information, and whether medical treatment was administered. Keep this generic template on hand so you’re ready to capture information about any type of incident that may occur.

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Accident Incident Report Template

Download Accident Incident Report Template

This incident form template can typically be used to document an auto accident, but it can also be used for other types of injury accidents. There is space for recording information about the vehicles and drivers involved for auto accidents. For injury incidents, it has dedicated areas for detailed information about the type of injury, the area of the body affected, hospitalization and medical treatment, and the severity and progression of the injury. You can also enter details about police and/or witness involvement. This form is important for reporting auto insurance, health insurance, and/or workers’ compensation claims. 

Employee Incident Report Template

Download Employee Incident Report Template

Use this template for incidents that do not involve physical violence, such as accidents or disciplinary issues. This form is more basic than the workplace violence form - it documents the nature of the incident, any disciplinary actions being taken against the employee, their position, and their supervisor’s information. In case of an accident, this form may be used to capture information about injuries and medical treatment, workplace equipment involved, and witness information. This form may also be used in workers’ compensation claims.

Offense Incident Report Template

Download Offense Incident Report Template - WORD

These templates are used to report criminal incidents and can be used in criminal cases and/or insurance claims. They are generally used by law enforcement or security officers to record information about crimes that were called in or witnessed by a police, ambulance, or security officer, as well as any witnesses. Vehicle or property loss or theft can also be reported using this type of form.

Security Incident Report Template

Download Security Incident Report Template - WORD

Businesses or public organizations use this template to report security or privacy violations. These incidents might include physical altercations, or any other situation in which an individual threatens the safety or violates the privacy of other workers. This type of form provides space for recording details of the incident itself, as well as information about the suspect(s) involved.

Tenant Incident Report Template

Download Tenant Incident Report Template - WORD

Use this template if you are a property owner or manager and need to report an incident or accident involving a tenant. The form allows you to document information about the tenants involved, any property damage or loss, injuries sustained and medical treatment required, witnesses, and police or fire department officials called to the scene. It also allows you to record information about contractors who may have been involved, including their insurance information and details about the job they were performing. This form is helpful when filing property insurance claims, and may be used in workers’ compensation claims, if applicable.

Student Incident Report Template

Download Student Incident Report Template - WORD

Educational institutions can use this template to report incidents involving students, including accidents, health and safety events, injuries, and near misses. It helps document actual or potential injuries, unsafe conditions on campus that may have contributed to the incident, whether bullying or harassment was involved, and any disciplinary actions to be taken. This form may be included as part of a student’s permanent record.

Workplace Violence Incident Report Template

Download Workplace Violence Incident Report Template - WORD

This template is used to document workplace violence—when either an employee or outside individual harms, or attempts to harm, other workers. It details the individuals involved, the cause of the incident (for example, conflict with a coworker or manager) and the nature of the incident (such as stalking, harassment, or assault). It also documents whether injuries were sustained, and what corrective action will be taken (if the assailant is an employee). This form may be helpful in workers’ compensation claims, insurance claims, and/or court cases.

Information Security Incident Report Template

Download Information Security Incident Report Template - WORD

Businesses can use this IT incident report template to report incidents such as data breaches, privacy violations, viruses, and denial-of-service attacks. The form includes a summary of the incident, personal information for any individuals whose privacy has been compromised, the impact of data loss, and any physical and technical security measures already in place. This data breach incident response plan template can help your IT department assess the severity of security violations, and create a plan to prevent them in the future. This template may also be used in criminal investigations, where applicable.

Incident Reporting in Healthcare Organizations

Workplace injuries, mismanagement of healthcare information, and mistakes in medical care provided can occur at any point under the roof of a healthcare organization, and what ensues is the need to file an incident report. To handle this process effectively, organizations must have a system or process in place for submitting, reviewing, and addressing incident reports that occur within their business, such as medication or clinical trial errors, patient falls, administrative incidents, and more.

To streamline the incident reporting process and ensure that every detail surrounding the incident is reported on, evaluated, and managed by the appropriate resources in a timely manner, while also maintaining patient and provider confidentiality, you need a tool that provides real-time visibility into each report, automates the process, and mitigates any risk of the incident reoccuring.

Smartsheet is a work execution platform that enables healthcare companies to improve work efficiency and scale and manage incident reporting processes, while securely storing and sharing protected health information. Streamline reporting, manage incidents as they occur, and organize all necessary information to handle the issue, and prevent it from happening again. Securely share, store, and access PHI while meeting or exceeding all of HIPAA’s regulatory requirements.

Interested in learning more about how Smartsheet can help you maximize your efforts? Discover Smartsheet for Healthcare .  

Improve Incident Reporting & Management Efforts with Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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How to Write an Incident Report: Format, Examples & Tips

Last Updated: April 19, 2024 Fact Checked

Incident Report Template and Example

Following protocol, describing what happened, polishing the report.

This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD . Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,250,806 times.

If you're a security guard or police officer deployed to the scene of an incident, writing up a detailed and accurate report is an important part of doing your job correctly. A good incident report gives a thorough account of what happened without glossing over unsavory information or leaving out important facts. It's crucial to follow the appropriate protocol, describe the incident clearly, and submit a polished report.

How do you write an incident report?

Note the time, date, and location of the incident on the form. Include your full name and ID number, as well. Write a first person narrative explaining what happened at the scene, be honest, clear, and concise as you go. Then, proofread your incident report and revise any mistakes before submitting it.

• Follow any instructions that accompany the forms. Each organization uses a different format, so pay attention to the guidelines.
• In some cases you're responsible for filling out a form issued by your institution. In other cases you'll be asked to type or write up the report on your own.

Tip: If possible, do your write up using word processing software. It will look neater, and you'll be able to use spell check to polish it when you're finished. If you write your report by hand, print clearly instead of using cursive. Don't leave people guessing whether your 7s are actually 1s.

• The time, date and location of the incident (be specific; write the exact street address, etc.).
• Your name and ID number.
• Names of other members of your organization who were present

• For example, you could write that you were called to a certain address after a person was reported for being drunk and disorderly.
• Note that you should not write what you think might have happened. Stick to the facts, and be objective.

• Use the full names of each person included in the report. Identify all persons the first time they are cited in your report by listing: first, middle, and last names; date of birth, race, gender, and reference a government issued identification number. In subsequent sentences, you can then refer to them using just their first and last names: "Doe, John" or "John Doe". Start a new paragraph to describe each person's actions separately. Answer the who, what, when, where, and why of what happened.
• For example, when the police officer mentioned above arrives at the residence where he got the call, he could say: "Upon arrival the officer observed a male white, now known as Doe, John Edwin; date of birth: 03/15/1998; California Driver's License 00789142536, screaming and yelling at a female white,know known as, Doe, Jane, in the front lawn of the above location (the address given earlier). The officer separated both parties involved and conducted field interviews. The officer was told by Mr. John Doe that he had came home from work and discovered that dinner was not made for him. He then stated that he became upset at his wife Mrs. Jane Doe for not having the dinner ready for him."
• If possible, make sure to include direct quotes from witnesses and other people involved in the incident. For example, in the above scenario, the officer could write “Jane said to me ‘Johnny was mad because I didn’t have dinner ready right on time.'”
• Include an accurate description of your own role in the course of what occurred. If you had to use physical force to detain someone, don't gloss over it. Report how you handled the situation and its aftermath.

• For example, instead of saying “when I arrived, his face was red,” you could say, “when I arrived, he was yelling, out of breath, and his face was red with anger.” The second example is better than the first because there are multiple reasons for someone’s face to be red, not just that they are angry.
• Or, instead of saying “after I arrived at the scene, he charged towards me,” you should say “when I arrived at the scene I demanded that both parties stop fighting. After taking a breath and looking at me, he began to run quickly towards me and held his hand up like he was about to strike me.”

• For example, if a witness told you he saw someone leap over a fence and run away, clearly indicate that your report of the incident was based upon a witness account; it is not yet a proven fact.
• Additionally, if you are reporting what the witness told you, you should write down anything that you remember about the witness's demeanor. If their statement's cause controversy later, your report can prove useful. For example, it would be helpful to know that a witness appeared excited while telling you what happened, or if they seemed very calm and evenhanded.

• Keep your writing clear and concise.
• Additionally, do not use legal or technical words: For example, say “personal vehicle” instead of “P.O.V.” (personally owned vehicle), and “scene of the crime” instead of the typical numbered code that police typically use to notify others of their arrival.
• Use short, to-the-point sentences that emphasize facts and that don't leave room for interpretation. Instead of writing "I think the suspect wanted to get back at his wife, because he seemed to have ill intentions when he walked up to her and grabbed her," write "The suspect [insert name] walked over to his wife [name] and forcefully grabbed her by the wrist."

• Do not try to make sure that statements in your report match those of your colleagues. Individually filed reports guarantee that more than one account of an incident survives. Incident reports can appear later in a court of law. If you alter the facts of your report to match those of another, you can be penalized.

• Check it one more time for spelling and grammar errors.
• Remove any words that could be seen as subjective or judgmental, like words describing feelings and emotions.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/work-incident-report
• ↑ https://www.csus.edu/campus-safety/police-department/_internal/_documents/rwm.pdf
• ↑ https://www.nfic.org/docs/WrittingEffectiveIncidentReports.pdf
• ↑ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/ctetechwriting/chapter/accident-and-incident-reports/
• ↑ https://oer.pressbooks.pub/opentrailstechnicalwriting/chapter/writing-incident-reports/

About This Article

If you need to write an incident report, start writing down the basic facts you need to remember as soon as possible, so you don’t start to forget details. Include the time, date, and location of the incident, as well as your name and work ID number and the names of anyone else who was present. Start by describing the general nature of the incident, then write out a detailed, first-person account of what happened. Include as many details as you can. Keep reading for tips on editing and polishing your report. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Incident Report Templates (18) | Sample

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Updated January 23, 2024

An incident report  is used to formally document an event that involves an accident, injury, property damage, or other unusual activity. Commonly used in the workplace, an incident report can help employers reduce liability by addressing problematic employees or processes in an effort to prevent harmful incidents from recurring.

When to Write?

An incident report should be completed as soon as possible after the event to get the most accurate testimony from witnesses.

By Type (18)

Construction

Cybersecurity (IT)

Hotel Guest

Security Guard

What Should be Included?

An incident report should include the following details:

• The person affected and their contact information
• A factual description of the incident, including location, date, and time
• A description of the incurred injuries if any
• Any involved parties or witnesses and their contact information

How to File an Incident Report

Procedures for incident reporting can vary from company to company. While some employers may prefer their employees to report incidents to their direct supervisor or to the HR department, others may have an online incident reporting system where employees can submit the form virtually.

If your company’s process for incident reporting was not covered as part of your onboarding process, check your employee handbook or ask your supervisor.

INCIDENT REPORT FORM

Use this form to report accidents, injuries, medical situations, criminal activities, traffic incidents, or student behavior incidents. If possible, a report should be completed within 24 hours of the event.

Date of Report: [DATE]

 I. PERSON INVOLVED.

Full Name : [NAME] Address : [ADDRESS]

Identification : ☐ Driver’s License No. [#] ☐ Passport No. [#] ☐ Other: [OTHER]

Phone : [PHONE NUMBER] E-Mail : [E-MAIL ADDRESS]

 II. THE INCIDENT.

Date of Incident : [DATE] Time : [TIME] ☐ AM ☐ PM

Location : [LOCATION]

Describe the Incident : [DESCRIBE THE INCIDENT]

 III. INJURIES.

Was anyone injured ? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If yes, describe the injuries : [DESCRIPTION OF INJURIES]

Were there witnesses to the incident ? ☐ Yes ☐ No

If yes, enter the witnesses’ names and contact info : [NAMES OF WITNESSES]

IV. POLICE / MEDICAL SERVICES.

Police Notified? ☐ Yes ☐ No If yes, was a report filed ? ☐ Yes ☐ No

Was medical treatment provided ? ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Refused

If yes, location of the medical treatment :  ☐ On-site ☐ Hospital ☐ Other: [OTHER]

V. PERSON FILING REPORT.

Signature: ________________________ Date: _____________

Print Name: ________________________

OFFICE USE ONLY

Report received by: [ NAME ] Date: [ DATE ]

Follow-up action taken :

Action Taken: [ DESCRIBE ]

• Journey Management
• Lone Worker Management
• Incident Reporting
• Hazard Identification
• Safety Observations
• Audits and Inspections
• Alertness Tracking
• Training Tracker
• Mining, Oil and Gas
• Manufacturing
• Construction and Engineering
• Transport and Logistics
• Health and Community Services

How To Write An Incident Report (And Use It To Improve Safety)

In our daily lives, unexpected events can occur at any moment, especially in a dynamic workplace or other complex environments. These events, often referred to as incidents, can range from minor mishaps to significant emergencies . But what happens after an incident occurs? How do organizations ensure that they learn from these experiences and prevent them from happening again? The answer lies in a critical process known as workplace incident reporting .

What is Incident Reporting?

Incident reporting is the process of documenting all details of an unexpected event in a workplace or other environment. It's not just about jotting down what happened; it's a systematic approach to capturing the who, what, where, when, and why of an incident.

The Incident report is a vital tool for safety, compliance and continuous improvement.

• Safety : By analyzing incidents, organizations can identify risks and hazards, leading to more robust safety measures.
• Compliance : Many industries have legal requirements to report specific incidents. Proper reporting ensures that organizations meet these obligations.
• Continuous Improvement : Incident reports are learning tools. They help organizations understand their weaknesses and strengths, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth.

Whether you're a manager overseeing a large team, an employee responsible for safety, or simply someone interested in organizational best practices, this guide will provide you with the insights and tools needed to make incident reporting a valuable part of your daily operations.

Get To Know More About Incident Reports

An incident report is a formal record of an unexpected or unusual event that could have or did result in harm or other consequences. Why is it formal? An incident report needs to be structured to capture essential details. The insights and evidence gained from incident details can be crucial for various purposes including route cause analysis.

• Purpose : The primary purpose of an incident report is to provide a clear and concise account of the incident. It serves as a valuable tool for understanding what happened, why it happened, and what can be done to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
• Common Elements : An incident report typically includes specific details such as the date and time of the incident, the people involved, the location, a description of the event, any injuries or damages, and the actions taken in response. These elements ensure that the report is not only informative but also actionable.
• Usage Across Industries : Incident reports are not confined to a particular sector or industry. From healthcare to construction, from IT to retail, incident reports are used universally to maintain safety standards, comply with regulations, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Types of Incident Reports

Incidents are as varied as the environments in which they occur. From a minor equipment malfunction in a manufacturing plant to a significant security breach in an IT firm, incidents come in all shapes and sizes. Consequently, incident reports are not one-size-fits-all; they are tailored to the specific nature of the incident and the industry in which it occurs. Understanding the various types of incident reports is crucial for ensuring that the right information is captured and the appropriate actions are taken.

Here's a list of the most common types of incident reports used across different industries:

• Safety Incidents : These reports cover accidents , injuries, or near misses in the workplace. They are vital in industries like construction, manufacturing, and healthcare, where physical safety is paramount.
• Security Incidents : In the digital age, security incidents like data breaches or unauthorized access are increasingly common. These reports detail the nature of the security threat and the measures taken to mitigate it.
• Quality Incidents : In sectors like manufacturing and food processing, quality incidents relate to deviations from quality standards or specifications. These reports help in identifying areas for improvement in product quality.
• Compliance Incidents : Compliance incidents involve violations of legal or regulatory requirements. These reports are crucial for maintaining adherence to laws and industry standards.
• Behavioral Incidents : In educational or care settings, behavioral incidents like bullying or misconduct are documented to ensure proper handling and resolution.
• Medical Incidents : In healthcare, medical incidents such as medication errors or patient falls are meticulously recorded to enhance patient care and safety.

How to Write an Effective Incident Report

Writing an effective incident report requires capturing the essence of an incident in a way that's informative, actionable, and conducive to learning. 

Here are some key steps to guide you in this process

• Add a 'What Happened' Heading : Start your report with a clear heading that summarizes the incident. This gives an immediate understanding of the event and sets the tone for the rest of the report. For example, "Fire in Warehouse" or "Data Breach in IT Department."
• Use the 'Was' Sentence Structure : Begin your description with a structure like "The incident was..." to define it clearly. This helps in setting a factual tone and ensures that the report is objective. For instance, "The incident was a fire that broke out in the warehouse on July 15, 2023."
• Fully Define the Incident in 2-3 Sentences : Be concise yet informative. Describe the incident, its impact, and immediate actions taken. Avoid unnecessary details but ensure that the critical aspects of the incident are covered.
• Match the Incident Report Format : Follow a standardized format for your report. This typically includes sections like incident details, people involved, actions taken, and recommendations. Adhering to a format ensures consistency and makes the report easier to understand.
• Include Evidence and Witnesses : Incorporate any supporting information, such as photographs of the incident, CCTV footage, or witness statements. This strengthens the report and provides a more comprehensive picture of the incident.
• Prioritize Immediate Reporting : Emphasize the importance of reporting the incident as soon as possible. Timely reporting ensures that details are not forgotten and allows for swift action to be taken.
• Iterate and Review : Review the report for clarity, accuracy, and completeness. Make necessary revisions and check for any missing information. Remember, an incident report is not just a document; it's a tool for learning and improvement.

By following these steps, you can create an incident report that's not just a record of an event, but a valuable resource for understanding, learning, and preventing future incidents. In the next sections, we'll delve deeper into each type of incident report, providing you with specific insights and examples to guide your reporting process .

Benefits of Proper Incident Reporting

• Improved Safety : By documenting incidents, organizations can identify patterns, uncover risks, and implement measures to prevent future occurrences. This leads to a safer work environment and a culture that prioritizes employee well-being.
• Ensured Compliance : Many industries have legal or regulatory requirements for incident reporting. Proper reporting ensures that these obligations are met, avoiding potential penalties and maintaining the organization's reputation.
• Learning Opportunities : Each incident report is a learning opportunity. It provides insights into what went wrong, why it happened, and how it can be prevented, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Accountability and Transparency : Incident reports promote accountability and transparency. They provide a clear record of events, actions taken, and decisions made, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the same information.

To further illustrate the importance of proper incident reporting, let's contrast it with the risks of inadequate reporting in the table below:

Wrapping Up

Workplace incident reporting is a critical process to ensure you prevent future incidents from occurring. Rather than making mistakes and sweeping them under the rug, organizations can learn from mistakes and improve worker safety. I hope this article has shed some light on how to write an effective incident report. But what are your next steps? Check out our free Incident Report Template that can help you turn an incident into an opportunity to improve worker safety and meet compliance. Download the interactive PDF here.

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What is an incident report?

How to write an incident report, top 5 platforms for creating effective incident reports.

An incident report is a form used to record workplace accidents, injuries, illnesses or near misses. It’s very important to submit an incident report when an incident happens, regardless of whether it caused any injuries to employees. That’s because an incident report helps you uncover the circumstances and conditions that led to the event so you can make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Record the basic facts

Start by recording basic facts related to the incident. These include:

• Type of incident: Illness, injury, theft, near miss or property damage
• Location of incident
• Date and time

Note affected individuals

Collect and record details such as names, job titles, departments and any other useful information about those involved or affected by the incident.

Find witnesses

Collect details of any witnesses of the event and record their statements as detailed and accurate as possible.

Create a narrative description of the incident

Document the sequence of events that led to the incident. It’s important to specify the actions of those involved at the time of the incident. This will help you identify which factors were present before the incident and could be a potential contributing factor to the incident occurring.

Some factors to consider:

• What did the employee do?
• Who trained the employee or who asked them to complete the task?
• How was the employee feeling before the incident?
• For example: Was there a burned-out light bulb? Was a piece of equipment faulty? Was there a blind spot in the area causing the employee poor visibility?
• Was the employee wearing appropriate personal protective equipment?

Note the injuries

If any injuries were incurred, give a detailed description and include parts of the body injured as well as the nature and severity of the injuries.

Record the treatment

Document the type of treatment administered for the acknowledged injuries so you can follow up with the employee’s progress and recovery when reviewing the specifics of the event.

Indicate damages

Record and account for any damage to equipment and materials that were affected by the incident to determine what items will need to be repaired or replaced.

Establish a corrective action plan

Analyze the facts collected and documented in the incident report and determine a corrective action plan. A corrective action plan provides recommendations for preventing the possibility of both an increase in the severity of the incident and the recurrence of the incident.

Below are five well-known and widely utilized incident report software solutions to help you quickly record any incidents as soon as they occur. These incident templates are designed to capture a comprehensive and precise account of the situation, resulting in swift and informed decisions.

SEE: The COVID-19 gender gap: Why women are leaving their jobs and how to get them back to work (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Jotform is a free platform that lets you create custom online incident reports from your smartphone or tablet. The form is easy to fill out and you can customize it in just a few clicks.

With Jotform, you can gather important digital documents as well as collect files and electronic signatures from clients, coworkers and colleagues. There’s a Form Builder feature that offers a variety of unique form fields designed to get you the data you need. Other features include kiosk mode, geolocation fields and offline data collection.

Smartsheet is a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. The platform offers roll-up reports, dashboards and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.

Smartsheet free templates can be used to report various types of events including accidents, injuries, workplace incidents, property loss or damage, and close calls. The forms allow you to record information and key metrics about all parties involved, details of the incident itself, any law enforcement interaction, witness information and any medical treatment administered.

With Smartsheet you can get real-time visibility and it’s easy to plan, capture, manage and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done.

1st Reporting

1st Reporting is an all-in-one incident reporting software that empowers your field team with the tools they need to generate actionable reports to identify problem areas in their day-to-day operations. The cloud-based solution allows your in-field teams to log reports in real-time online from any device, which in turn helps get their jobs done quicker and safer.

The solution offers an incident reporting dashboard so all your reports are in one place. You can create customized inspection and incident report forms to capture the data you need from your team in the field.

You also get incident notifications and data insights so you can monitor incidents, respond and take action from your smartphone or desktop.

Delinea, previously known as ThycoticCentrify, is an innovative and intuitive platform that offers a customizable cybersecurity incident report template.

Delinea’s incident response plan templates help keep detailed records of breaches in your organization. Keeping these records can enable your incident response teams to reduce the risk of a breach from becoming a catastrophe and maintain your business continuity.

The templates also come with customization instructions for assembling an incident response team, a checklist of roles and responsibilities and details for actionable steps to measure the extent of a cyber security incident.

monday offers simple yet powerful incident templates that let you easily keep track of your incidents.

monday incident templates offer an agile, responsive, flexible way of recording everything from facts about the process of the incident to sorting or filtering your data. This helps provide greater insight into your incidents and you can easily highlight your most common root causes and the severity of your most common

The forms are highly customizable so you can add action items, reorder based on priority and create a tailored plan to fit your needs.

monday also provides a dashboard where you can assign team members to each action item and monitor your plan’s progress at every stage. You can also receive incident reports and you can also create and share a corrective action plan with your team on the dashboard.

A major benefit of using this template is you can export to Excel with just one click, and you can also import your Excel spreadsheet easily. You can also integrate monday with other existing tools such as Jira, GitLab or BugHerd, and they will automatically update your incident report templates.

Incident reports are a critical component of any company’s incident response plan. They serve as a means for creating a Corrective Action Plan to avoid repeat mistakes. Using the above applications will ensure you always have relevant and thorough incident report templates ready and available to capture details of any incident that may arise.

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Home » Workplace Incident Report Template

Workplace Incident Report Template

Table of Contents

• What is a workplace incident report?
• What is the purpose of a workplace incident report?
• Download your own human resources incident report template
• How to write a workplace incident report
• Two workplace incident types you should report
• Get help reporting workplace incidents with HR Acuity

What is a workplace incident report?  

Workplace incident reports record and document details of accidents, injuries, property damage, health and safety concerns, security breaches, and behavioral misconduct that occur in the workplace.  

An incident report is a written account of the incident, including when, where, and how it happened, the individuals involved, and other relevant details – such as the nature and extent of injuries or damages.  

Generally created and maintained by HR departments, workplace incident reports are vital for providing transparency across the organization, ensuring proper investigation and corrective actions are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. As such, workplace incident reports are a key element of workplace safety, risk management, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements at the federal or local level.  

Note: You may have come across workplace incident reports before, just by a different name. Many organizations refer to this type of report as a workplace accident report or HR incident report. While we’ll focus on HR here, other departments may have similar report forms, including finance and IT teams.  

What is the purpose of a workplace incident report?  

Workplace incident reports aren’t just for documenting accidents, though functionally that is what they do. The purpose these reports serve is to protect individuals and the organization as a whole.  

Some of the ways workplace incident reports do this include:  

• Collecting detailed and accurate documentation: Incident reports provide an official account of workplace accidents and incidents, ensuring that all relevant information is recorded.  
• Providing a framework for thorough, systematic investigation: Workplace incident reports facilitate the investigation process by helping HR departments analyze the circumstances of an incident, determine its causes, and take follow-up action.  
• Identifying potential safety improvement: Incident reports play an important role in identifying potential safety hazards, allowing organizations to take corrective measures to prevent future incidents.  
• Ensuring compliance: HR incident reports assist in meeting legal and regulatory requirements, demonstrating that the organization is committed to workplace safety and responsible reporting.  
• Recording details for insurance claims: Incident reports can support insurance claims by providing a comprehensive record of the incident, which is often required for compensation.  
• Protecting employees: Workplace incident reports help protect the rights of employees by ensuring that their injuries or concerns are documented and addressed promptly.  
• Managing and mitigating organizational risk: HR incident reports aid in assessing and managing risks, which is essential for maintaining a safe and productive work environment.  

Download your own human resources incident report template  

  Download your own Workplace Incident Report template here .

How to write a workplace incident report  

At this point you’ve learned the purpose behind creating workplace incident reports. Next we’ll dive into how to fill out a workplace incident report.  

Keep in mind that different organizations will format their incident reports differently. You’ll want to keep these best practices in mind whether you use our workplace incident report template , alter it, create something new, or use an existing report.  

By following these steps, you will write a well-structured workplace incident report that accurately captures the incident’s details and further the goal of maintaining workplace safety and compliance.  

1. Gather essential information  

To create a comprehensive workplace incident report, start by collecting all the necessary information. This includes details such as the date, time, and location of the incident, the names of the people involved, and any witnesses. Ensure you have the facts, not assumptions.  

2. Describe the incident  

Provide a clear and detailed description of the incident. Explain what happened, how it occurred, and any contributing factors. Use straightforward language, and avoid making judgments or drawing conclusions in this section.  

3. Include injuries and damages  

If there are injuries or damages involved, document them accurately. Describe the nature and extent of injuries, along with any medical treatment provided. For property damage, note the affected items and their condition.  

4. Interview witnesses  

Speak with any witnesses to the incident and record their statements. Ensure that their perspectives are included in the report. Collect their contact information in case further investigation is required.  

5. Identify contributing factors  

Consider what factors may have led to the incident. This could include equipment malfunctions, unsafe conditions, conscious malicious intent, or human error. Identifying these factors is crucial for prevention.  

6. Review company policies and procedures  

Ensure that your report aligns with company policies and procedures for incident reporting. This step helps maintain consistency and ensures you’re following the organization’s guidelines.  

7. Attach supporting documents  

If applicable, include any relevant documents, such as photographs, diagrams, or medical records to support your report. These visuals can help clarify the incident’s details. Be sure to note their inclusion, in case something gets lost.  

8. Maintain objectivity  

When writing the report, maintain objectivity and avoid personal opinions or emotional language. Stick to the facts and focus on what occurred rather than why it happened.  

9. Follow-up and submission  

After completing the report, follow up with the necessary parties, such as HR or a supervisor, and submit the report according to company procedures. Ensure it is filed in a timely manner for prompt investigation and action.  

Two workplace incident types you should report  

Incident reports are essential tools for documenting a wide range of unexpected events and occurrences within the workplace. By understanding when to write an incident report, you can enhance safety, risk management, and compliance efforts.  

Keep in mind that not all workplace incidents occur on property belonging to the organization. In some circumstances, it is possible for workplace incidents to take place off-site or during non-working hours – during a holiday party or industry conference, for example. Incidents aren’t limited to just employees either, but might include guests, customers, prospects, or vendors. Context and circumstance matter when deciding whether or not to report. When in doubt, it is often better to write a report and not need it, than the other way around.  

Here are two broad categories of events that warrant the creation of an HR incident report:    

Incident category #1: Workplace hazard, natural disaster, security, and sentinel events  

When something goes wrong that leads to a negative outcome, it almost certainly warrants an incident report. While we’re lumping these together, incidents in this category encompass a variety of situations, including:  

• Slips, trips, and falls  
• Vehicle accidents and vandalism  
• Natural disasters (tornadoes, fires, disease)  
• IT security breach  
• Financial breach or misconduct  
• Employee conflict that escalates into the threat of, or actual, physical violence or altercation  

Writing an incident report for sentinel events is crucial for thorough documentation and analysis, enabling organizations to take corrective actions and prevent similar incidents. Small details matter here, so be sure to document everything thoroughly.  

Incident category #2: Near misses  

Near misses involve situations where no injuries or major issue occurred, but there was clear and present risk. It’s easy to ignore these types of events. Don’t. While no immediate harm was done, documenting near misses is important for identifying and addressing underlying hazards, ultimately preventing future accidents. This also demonstrates your organization’s commitment to ensure a safe workplace by encouraging employees to come forward with near miss information so it can be addressed.  

Get help reporting workplace incidents with HR Acuity  

No matter where you work, workplace incidents are going to happen. Or to put it another way, where there are workplaces, there are workplace accidents. Knowing how and when to document these incidents helps HR teams maintain safety and compliance, address issues, and mitigate organizational risk.  

Relying on unstructured notes or recap emails opens the door to inconsistent reporting and can hamper investigations. In short, every organization needs a reliable incident report template.  

Don’t have one? HR Acuity has you covered. Download your Workplace Incident Report Template here .  

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Incident management template

When incidents happen, speed is key. Organize and track incidents as they occur so you can find solutions fast. Learn how to create an incident management template in Asana.

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INTEGRATED FEATURES

Recommended apps.

No plan is perfect, so it’s normal to run into issues or roadblocks during a project. When that happens, you need a way to track incidents, collaborate in real time, and find solutions before little problems become big ones. 

The solution? An incident management template. 

What is incident management? 

What is an incident management template .

An incident management template is a reusable guide that lets you quickly set up an incident management tracker for any project. Instead of creating a tracker from scratch, you can duplicate the template and kickstart your incident management process right away. Creating an incident management template requires a bit of up-front effort, but it can save you valuable time at the start of every future project. 

The benefits of a digital incident management template

There’s more to incident management than just writing down issues as they occur. In order to come up with solutions quickly, your whole team needs to see how incidents are progressing in real time. However, that type of dynamic tracking isn’t possible with static Excel spreadsheets or PDFs. 

A digital incident management template provides a single source of truth for your team. As an incident unfolds, you can update your tracker with new information to show your whole team what changed, who’s working on it, and what they’ve done so far in real time. 

When you create an incident tracker in a project management tool instead of a static document, you can: 

See all in-progress and resolved incidents in one place.

Record and track incidents in real time.

Share incident status with stakeholders. 

Collaborate on incidents in the same place you track them. 

Assign owners and deadlines so it’s clear who should address incidents by when.

Update due dates, statuses, and owners when priorities change.

Attach relevant screenshots, documents, or spreadsheets. 

Move quickly and still ensure everyone is on the same page. 

Report on the number and type of incidents you resolved.

What to include in your incident management template

An incident management template can help you quickly identify potential vulnerabilities, conduct a risk assessment, and take necessary corrective actions. To effectively track potential incidents, your digital incident management plan should provide enough context and information so all of your stakeholders can access important information in one place.

Integrated features

Custom fields . Custom fields are the best way to tag, sort, and filter work. Create unique custom fields for any information you need to track—from priority and status to email or phone number. Use custom fields to sort and schedule your to-dos so you know what to work on first. Plus, share custom fields across tasks and projects to ensure consistency across your organization.

Automation . Automate manual work so your team spends less time on the busy work and more time on the tasks you hired them for. Rules in Asana function on a basis of triggers and actions—essentially “when X happens, do Y.” Use Rules to automatically assign work, adjust due dates, set custom fields, notify stakeholders, and more. From ad hoc automations to entire workflows, Rules gives your team time back for skilled and strategic work.

Forms . When someone fills out a Form, it shows up as a new task within an Asana project. By intaking information via a Form, you can standardize the way work gets kicked off, gather the information you need, and ensure no work falls through the cracks. Instead of treating each request as an ad hoc process, create a standardized system and set of questions that everyone has to answer. Or, use branching logic to tailor questions based on a user’s previous answer. Ultimately, Forms help you reduce the time and effort it takes to manage incoming requests so your team can spend more time on the work that matters.

Board View . Board View is a Kanban board-style view that displays your project’s information in columns. Columns are typically organized by work status (like To Do, Doing, and Done) but you can adjust column titles depending on your project needs. Within each column, tasks are displayed as cards, with a variety of associated information including task title, due date, and custom fields. Track work as it moves through stages and get at-a-glance insight into where your project stands.

Jira . Create interactive, connected workflows between technical and business teams to increase visibility around the product development process in real time—all without leaving Asana. Streamline project collaboration and hand offs. Quickly create Jira issues from within Asana so that work passes seamlessly between business and technical teams at the right time.

GitHub . Automatically sync GitHub pull request status updates to Asana tasks. Track progress on pull requests and improve cross-functional collaboration between technical and non-technical teams, all from within Asana.

Zendesk . With Asana's Zendesk integration, users can quickly and easily create Asana tasks directly from Zendesk tickets. Add context, attach files, and link existing tasks to track work needed to close out the ticket. The integration also provides continuing visibility across both systems, so everyone is kept up to speed regardless of which tool they use.

Salesforce . Remove bottlenecks by enabling sales, customer success, and service teams to communicate directly with their support teams in Asana. Share attachments and create actionable, trackable tasks for pre-sales needs. With Service Cloud, connect your implementation and service teams with supporting teams in Asana to deliver amazing customer experiences.

What type of teams benefit most from an incident management template? .css-i4fobf{-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 200ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 200ms ease-in-out;-webkit-transform:rotateZ(0);-moz-transform:rotateZ(0);-ms-transform:rotateZ(0);transform:rotateZ(0);}

Any team who responds to incidents can benefit from an incident management template. This usually includes teams that work on information security, IT, web development, human resources, manufacturing, education, workplace safety, and even law enforcement—though that list is by no means exclusive. Even if you’re a project manager at a tech company, you can use an incident management template to respond to roadblocks within projects.

What type of incidents can I track in an incident management template?

The short answer? You can track any type of incident you want. Keep in mind that the definition of “incident” varies between teams. For example, IT staff handle computer security incidents like firewall or data breaches, while law enforcement officials create incident reports to document crimes within their jurisdiction. Other types of incidents might include malware attacks, authentication errors, site outages, website bugs, manufacturing defects, and customer complaints.

Why should I track incidents?

Tracking incidents helps you respond quickly to issues when they occur, so you can prevent roadblocks from derailing a project or process. It also gives you a way to delegate tasks to your incident response team—because as you record incidents, you can assign them to specific team members to investigate. And finally, tracking incidents provides a clear picture of the issues you’re dealing with and how you’re tackling them, so your team and stakeholders are always looped in.

How do I make an incident management template?

First, determine the key information you need to know about each incident in order to track and respond to it. Then, use that information to create your incident management template—so when an incident occurs, all you need to do is fill in the blanks. For example, if you work on a security team, you’ll use your template to track security breaches. To do that, you need to track the following information: description, assignee, severity, affected systems, date, escalation, and root cause.

How do I use an incident management tracker?

When incidents occur, add them to your incident management tracker and record any relevant information. As your team works to address the issue, update the incident accordingly so everyone can see the incident’s status in real time.

What’s the difference between an incident management tracker template and an incident response plan template?

An incident management tracker allows your team to see every incident and its status in one place. It provides key information about each incident so your team has the context they need to find a solution. On the other hand, an incident response plan lays out your approach to incident handling—like incident response procedures, incident response policies, and your overarching incident response process.

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Create an incident management template in Asana

Organize and track incidents as they occur so you can find solutions fast.

Get Free Incident Report Templates In Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides

Creative Incident Report

Workplace Incident Report

Simple Professional Incident Report

Incident Report

Simple Incident Report

Grey Incident Report

Accident Incident Report

Simple Modern Incident Report

Minimal Incident Report

Dark Blue Incident Report

In the modern world, accidents happen quite often. This can occur at work, in the office, on the way home, or in the park. No one can be insured by this. But there is also a formal side of the issue. For incidents that occurred during working hours, you will need a template of the incident report, which you can fill out per the incident.

So that you do not waste your time on developing forms, and creating the structure and layout of such a template, TheGoodocs took on the majority of the work. Now you can simply use the design and structure already prepared by professional developers, saving yourself a lot of time! Moreover, creating an easy-to-fill and use incident report template in Google Docs is challenging without certain advanced skills in using Google Sheets, Google Docs or Google Slides. And with our options, all you need to do is add your company name or just print a ready-made blank and fill it out! Of course, you can also customize our design. Check out all the benefits of our services now!

Benefits of Services from TheGoodocs

We offer you the best conditions for using incident report templates and other options on our website. Our completely open, transparent, and easy-to-use service has helped tens of thousands of people reduce the time it takes to create various formal and personal documents. And every day the number of satisfied website visitors is only growing! You can experience all the benefits of our service right now!

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Each incident reporting template is created by a professional designer of our company with vast experience. So you can be sure that you will get the best template. Moreover, you can see all the options on our website before use with the preview. What's even better is that you can get an unlimited number of samples for your needs completely free of charge. To take advantage of this offer, you will not need to register, link a card to get a temporary subscription to services, or waste your time on any other nuances. Only a transparent service and numerous best templates made us the best service! And we are not going to give up positions.

Of course, if you wish to support us, you can do so, and we will be very grateful. Subscribe to our social media to stay tuned for content updates and other noteworthy info, so we can continue to provide the best services for all your needs.

Huge Selection of Templates

On our website, you can find more than three thousand templates available to all users. But the number is only growing day by day, so choose the free incident report template that is perfect for your company or case. And to get a printable option that is not on the site, use our convenient "Requests" section.

Customize with Comfort

Everyone can work with the incident report template in Google Docs! If you are a beginner you can find detailed guides in the "Tips and Tutorials" section. Are you more comfortable working with applications from Microsoft or other publishers? Download the template to any device and use a more suitable application!

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Incident Report Templates

Generate real-time incident reports using a mobile app and an incident report form to avoid recurrence.

Incident Report Template

• Eliminate paperwork with digital checklists
• Generate reports from completed checklists
• Free to use for up to 10 users

This fillable incident report template can be used to record incidents such as injuries, near misses, accidents, property damage, and more. Use this template to record specific details of the incident and help organizations improve safety and security measures. Make the most of this checklist by following the points below:

• Identify the type of incident and provide details of the person of injury, job, and hazard, and incident
• Take or attach photo evidence of the incident, environment, and person(s) involved
• Gather witness statements and capture a digital signature
• Sign off with the digital signature of the person reporting
• Generate comprehensive incident reports and share them in the formats of Weblink, PDF, Excel, and Word.

Check this accomplished incident report example in the formats of PDF and web.

What is an Incident Report Template?

An incident report template is a tool used to document any event that may or may not have caused injury, illness, or property and equipment damage in the workplace or worksite. An incident report form must be filled out at the time the incident occurs for an accurate recount of events. Information recorded in an incident report form is used to investigate the root cause. Identifying the root cause will help in establishing the appropriate control measures to prevent the recurrence of the same incident.

How Do You Write an Incident Report with a Template?

Systematically writing an incident report helps the reporter gather all the necessary details to make the incident report accurate and factual. Here are three steps on how to write a good incident report using a template:

• Know what information to collect – A checklist can be a helpful guide to avoid missing out on important details especially at times when you need to submit the incident report as soon as it is needed.
• Gather the most accurate and factual data – Providing the most accurate and factual information is the topmost responsibility of the reporter. Opinions, biased statements, and vague information should be avoided.
• Provide as much evidence as possible – Add photos and illustrations to strengthen the validity of the incident report and support the statements given by witnesses.

What to Include in Your Incident Report Template

Generally, an incident report template has fields for the following:

• Name of the person preparing the report
• Names of the people involved in the incident
• Date and time
• Description of incident
• Injury status, if any
• Status and condition of the environment, if affected
• Cause of incident
• Photos related to incident
• Actions to take to ensure the incident does not happen again

Injury Incident Report Examples

The following are a few real-life examples of incident reporting in different aspects of workplaces:

General Incident Report Sample

“On Monday morning, September 4, 2020, at 7 a.m. in Cehenna Express. located in 5th Avenue, Pandemonium, one of the warehouse staff (Harvey Kinkle) slipped while transferring a piece of 95-lbs equipment to a nearby stock room. Upon further analysis, the root cause of the incident is believed to be the wet flooring due to a leaking water tank in the same location. Adding the fact that Harvey has poor vision, he carried the load himself without seeing the water on the floor. 

When Harvey fell, his colleague, Nick, who is about to enter the warehouse, heard a nearby bang that urges him to check what happened. Nick quickly ran to help Harvey. After reporting the incident to the shift supervisor, Mary Wardwell, they decided to call the Pandemonium hospital for an ambulance. Harvey said his head fell badly to the ground when he lost his balance, causing severe headaches, although there was no blood from his injuries.

Harvey was admitted to the Pandemonium General Hospital and a skull fracture was confirmed. Harvey will be out of work for 2 months.

The supervisor is currently working with the safety personnel (Edward Spellman) to evaluate the condition of the floor, the location and condition of the water tanks on the floor, and the lighting systems installed. Also, an eye medical test will be administered to all Cehenna Express staff.”

Fall Incident Report Sample  – Construction

“Whilst working as part of the roofing crew on a large residential project, the apprentice was required to climb the 8-meter-high scaffolding to retrieve some tools from the roof at the end of his shift. He put the tools in a bucket and started to climb down with the bucket in his hand. He thought it would be faster to climb the outside of the scaffolding rig. As he climbed onto the outside of the scaffolding, he lost his footing and fell 8 meters to the ground. 

The roofing crew team leader called an ambulance as the first aider attempted to revive him. The apprentice was in a coma for three months and after a lengthy period in therapy was eventually able to walk with aids. He was unable to work in the construction industry as a result of his injuries. 

The H&S manager investigated the accident using witness statements from the roofing crew and a review of site documentation. The root cause was determined to be lack of adequate supervision and poor communication of safety site rules.”

In the event involving an injury, you can use an accident report form as your injury report form to capture all important information and immediately report the accident. Here’s a sample incident report in a PDF format.

Incident Report Example

FAQs about Incident Report Templates

How soon should an incident report template be filled out after an incident.

Incident report templates should be completed as soon as possible or during end-of-shift reports to preserve key details needed for insurance and regulatory purposes , such as recording OSHA 300 forms (including the OSHA Form 300A ).

Who should fill up the incident report template?

The incident report template should be used by anyone who witnesses or is involved in an incident or accident. This includes employees, managers, supervisors, contractors, or anyone else in the organization who may have important information related to the incident.

What is the best way to create and manage an incident report template?

Going digital would be the way to create, manage, and fill up an incident report template. By going digital, you can reduce paper waste, improve reporting times, and ensure documentation processes are up to date as everything will be easily accessible.

Efficient Incident Reporting with SafetyCulture

With a digital solution such as SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) , you can perform paperless incident reporting from both mobile devices and laptops, anytime and anywhere. SafetyCulture is an operations platform that offers premade editable and fillable incident report templates in the Public Library as well as a smart form builder for you to create your own templates from scratch. Additionally, with SafetyCulture, you can also do the following:

• Report specific details of an incident as issues and create corrective actions for them
• Communicate with your team or organization with Heads Up
• Train staff on proper incident reporting procedures and safety practices
• Keep track of lone workers with SHEQSY by SafetyCulture
• Generate incident reports instantly and export them in various formats such as Weblink, PDF, Excel, and CSV

Try SafetyCulture for free now!

Related Incident Report Templates

Near miss report.

Use this near miss report form to capture a potential hazard or incident that has not resulted in any personal injury or property damage. It can be completed by anyone wishing to report a near miss.

Accident Report Form

Use this accident report form to provide key details needed regarding the injury, witness statements and indicate if emergency services were contacted.

Workplace Incident Report

A workplace incident report is used to record any event in the organization that involves an accident, injuries, or property damage. Use this template to document the type of incident that occurs in the workplace, including near misses, sentinel events, adverse events, and no harm events.

Incident Investigation Report Form

This incident investigation template can be used to help conduct a root cause analysis following an incident or near miss at a worksite or workplace. Use this to help gather necessary facts and general background information of the incident.

Workplace Incident Report Form

A workplace incident report form is a tool used by any staff to record incidents that caused injuries within the workplace. Using this checklist can also document workplace violence and be helpful in compensation, insurance claims, and court cases.

IT Incident Report Template

An IT incident report template is a prerequisite tool submitted to an IT manager to begin an investigation into a specific incident. Use this template to identify the nature of the incident and its potential impact.

Employee Incident Report

Jona Tarlengco

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Incident management for high-velocity teams

Incident communication templates and examples.

Communication templates are one of the most helpful tools during an incident. In the heat of a service outage, the response team is under a lot of pressure and every second counts. Sitting down to a blank page to figure out how to update customers is a lot harder than it seems. We recommend using some boilerplate language to get started.

Be sure to update the placeholder sections before posting. And don’t be afraid to add, edit, or delete pieces of these copy to make them yours.

Get Atlassian's incident management handbook

Learn all the tools and techniques Atlassian uses to manage major incidents.

The incident communication templates we use

Here are the incident communication templates we use at Atlassian, pulled straight from our company Incident Management Handbook . We use separate status pages for internal company staff and external customers.

Public status page

• Incident name : Investigating issues with
• Message : We are investigating issues with and will provide updates here soon.  

Internal status page

• Incident name : - -
• Message : We are investigating an incident affecting , and . We will provide updates via email and Statuspage shortly.

Example templates for specific incident types

Here are a set of some templates you could utilize during the different stages of an incident:

Investigating a potential outage

Here’s an example incident communications template you can use to announce you’re investigating a potential outage, but haven’t confirmed the impact or scope.

• Message : We’re currently investigating reports of a potential service interruption with . We apologize for any inconvenience and will post another update as soon as we learn more.

Full outage

Here’s an example incident communications template you can use during a complete outage.

• Incident name : service outage
• Message : We’re experiencing a service outage with . Our team is currently working to restore the service. We apologize for any inconvenience. users may be affected. Next update in .

Partial outage

Here’s an example incident communications template you can use during a partial outage.

• Incident name : partial outage
• Message : We’re currently experiencing degraded performance issues with . Our team is currently working to restore normal performance levels. We apologize for any inconvenience. users may be affected. Next update in .

Scheduled maintenance

Here’s an example incident communications template you can use during a scheduled maintenance window.

• Scheduled maintenance : We will be performing scheduled maintenance on on During this time, users can expect

Go deeper: Resources, plans, and tutorials

Templates and samples are helpful, but they’re only a small part of the bigger picture. The best incident response teams build and refine a plan. Here are some more resources to help you build plans incident communication:

• Our Incident Communication Template Generator  can help you quickly draft updates during an incident.
• How to create an incident response playbook
• Get your sheet together: how to create an incident communication plan
• Download our incident communication plan template
• Getting Started with an Incident Communications Plan
• Top 5 incident communication tips

Want to learn how to build and save your own incident templates? Try our interactive incident communications tutorial.  

Learn incident communication with Statuspage

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use incident templates to communicate effectively during outages. Adaptable to many types of service interruption.

What is incident response?

Learn about the six key stages of incident response, incident types, and tools to streamline your processes for effective incident management.

10 Best Free Incident Report Templates for Workplaces This Year

If you're looking for a way to simplify logging and tracking incidents in the workplace this year, one of the best investments you can make is investing in an Incident Report template. 

An Incident Report is an essential tool that allows you to document important details about any event or occurrence that happens at your workplace. 

The information from these reports can be used for internal investigations, risk management programs, and even follow-up reviews by HR departments or other organizations. Having the right incident report template available makes it much easier to quickly log information while helping ensure accuracy and consistency. 

To help get you started on finding the perfect free incident report template suitable for your organization's needs, we've compiled a list of 10 great options all conveniently located here!

1. ClickUp’s Employee Incident Report Template (Editor’s Pick)

ClickUp offers the Employee Incident Report Template that serves as a comprehensive tool for documenting and addressing incidents involving employees. The template provides a standardized format for reporting employee incidents, ensuring consistency and accuracy in documentation. Use the template to encourage real-time collaboration among team members involved in incident resolution. Users can leave comments, attach files, and communicate within the template, ensuring effective communication and coordination.

Main Elements of this Employee Incident Report Template

Main Elements of ClickUp’s Employee Incident Report template include:

• Easy Customization which allows users to customize the template according to their specific incident reporting needs
• Includes classification fields to categorize incidents based on severity, type, or other relevant criteria
• Template allows users to track and follow up on incidents, ensuring that appropriate actions are taken and documented

How to Use This Template

Highly effective teams can use the ClickUp Employee Incident Report to record, implement, and manage safety risks and hazards around the workplace. 

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite your team to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Take advantage of the multiple views to visualize deliverables in different categories. 

• Use Calendar View to manage your publishing timeline and keep track of deadlines or delays.
• With the Workflow Kanban Board, you can easily view the progress of each asset. You may also find Workflow Templates for project and task management.
• With the Channel Kanban Board, sort each asset by channel in which it’s published.

Finally, have your team add important details to the pre-built Custom Fields, such as links to drafts or pricing information to get the most complete details of your campaigns.

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2. ClickUp Incident Action Plan Template 

The Incident Action Plan Template by ClickUp is designed to assist in the coordination of actions during incidents and ensure they align with incident objectives. It provides a systematic approach to response and helps incident management maintain a consistent rhythm. By providing a standard format and structure, the template helps establish a consistent rhythm in incident management. This promotes clear communication and ensures everyone is on the same page.

Main Elements of this Incident Action Plan Template

• Helps organize and coordinate actions taken during an incident
• Provides a structured framework for teams to work together efficiently
• Ensures that actions taken align with the overall objectives of the incident

Complete your ClickUp Workspace with this free incident Action Plan template

3. ClickUp Incident Communication Plan Template

The ClickUp Incident Communication Plan Template offers a comprehensive framework for planning incident communication. It helps teams outline and organize the necessary steps to effectively communicate about incidents. The template assists in developing a business messaging strategy by providing guidance on creating clear and concise messages. This ensures that communication during incidents is consistent and aligned with organizational objectives.

Main Elements of this Incident Communication Plan Template

• Comprehensive framework for planning incident communication
• Helps teams outline and organize the necessary steps to effectively communicate about incidents
• Add and layout sections or guidelines for allocating resources during an incident

Get this incident Communication Plan Template from ClickUp

4. ClickUp Report Work Incident Template

The ClickUp Report Work Incident Template is designed to help users record and document work-related incidents or accidents. Users can classify the incident based on predefined categories such as equipment failure, safety violations, and more. The template provides a space to provide a detailed account of the incident, including the cause, contributing factors, and the impact it had on the project or work environment. Users may add provisions for follow-up actions, including monitoring the effectiveness of preventive measures, conducting regular safety checks, or scheduling reviews.

Main Elements of this Report Work Incident Template

• Use template to propose preventive measures or recommendations to avoid similar incidents in the future
• Use template for investigating the incident, gathering relevant data, and conducting a root cause analysis to identify underlying causes and develop corrective measures
• Document any immediate actions taken to address the incident, such as first aid administered, equipment repairs, or steps to prevent further occurrences

Get this Report Work Incident template from ClickUp here

5. ClickUp IT Incident Report Template

The ClickUp IT Incident Report Template is a resource provided by ClickUp, a project management software platform. It is designed to help IT teams document and track incidents that occur within their systems or networks. The template includes various sections and features to facilitate efficient incident reporting and resolution.

Main Elements of this IT Incident Report Template

• Provides a checklist feature that enables users to list and track specific tasks or actions related to the incident
• Create subtasks within the template to break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps
• Offers customizable fields, allowing users to add specific information or data points that are relevant to their organization or incident reporting requirements

Handle any problem or incident with this template from ClickUp

6. ClickUp Incident Response Report Template

The ClickUp Incident Response Report Template is a valuable template for documenting and managing incidents effectively. The template provides a structured format for documenting incident details, including date, time, location, involved parties, and a description of the incident. Use this template to ensure accurate and consistent documentation. The template can be incorporated with a timeline feature to track the sequence of events leading up to the incident. This helps in understanding the context and aids in incident investigation and analysis.

Main Elements of this Incident Response Report Template

• Sections to outline the actions taken in response to the incident
• May facilitate collaboration among team members by providing sections for comments, attachments, and communication within the document
• Users may modify the template to fit their specific incident response needs

Complete your workspace with this ClickUp Incident Response Report template

7. ClickUp Security Incident Report Doc Template

The ClickUp Security Incident Report Doc Template is designed to facilitate the reporting of workplace security incidents, accidents, injuries, and medical situations. Users can utilize this template to create a comprehensive incident report within 24 hours of the occurrence. The template includes sections to capture essential information about the security incident, such as the date, time, location, and a detailed description of what transpired. The template emphasizes the importance of submitting the completed incident report within 24 hours of the incident. 

Main Elements of this Security Incident Report Template

• Document any accidents or injuries that occurred during the security incident
• Provide dedicated sections to report medical situations or emergencies that arose during the security incident
• Custom fields allow users to tailor the incident report to their specific needs

Add this free ClickUp Security Incident Report template here

8. ClickUp Simpler After Action Report Template

The ClickUp Simpler After Action Report Template is designed to help teams assess their performance after completing a project or initiative. The template likely includes sections to evaluate what went well during the project or initiative. This allows teams to identify and celebrate their successes. ClickUp is known for its collaboration features which allows users to to use the template for team members to collaborate and provide input on the report.

Main Elements of this After Action Report Template

• Provides space to highlight areas that could be improved or lessons learned from the project
• Users may provide actionable insights and recommendations based on the assessment
• Offers customizable fields to tailor the report to specific needs and objectives

Complete your Workspace with this free ClickUp After Action Report template

9. Simple Professional Incident Report

Designed to streamline the documentation and management of incidents, this template enables you to document with efficiency and professionalism. With its customizable nature, it ensures comprehensive and precise documentation for various types of incidents. Adding visual evidence or contextual information is effortless as you can easily attach supporting documentation like photos, videos, or scanned documents. This convenient feature enhances the integrity and credibility of the incident report by providing a complete picture of the situation.

Main Elements of this Simple Professional Incident Report Template

• Compatible with both Google Docs and Sheets, enabling users to work with their preferred presentation software
• Designed to be easily editable, allowing users to customize the content, colors, and layout according to their needs
• Printable document for both offline and online use

Download this template here

10. Sample Incident Report Template

This sample incident report template is a pre-designed document that provides a framework for reporting accidents, incidents, or other noteworthy events. Use this template to explain the purpose of the incident report and provide a brief overview of the incident itself. This document template can also be used to define the immediate actions taken in response to the incident, such as administering first aid, contacting authorities, or implementing safety measures.

Main Elements of this  Sample Incident Report Template

• Add specific information about the nature of the incident, such as whether it was an accident, injury, medical situation, criminal activity, traffic incident, or behavioral incident
• State essential information about the incident, such as the date, time, location, and description of what occurred
• When necessary, add sections to record witness statements or details of any interviews conducted during the incident investigation

Best Tips to Manage Your Incident Report Templates

Each template is made for a variety of uses, users, or teams. While it may only be a starting point for any kind of process or task, users can maximize each template by following some of these tips:

Regular Review and Updates: Set a schedule to review and update your incident report templates periodically. This ensures that the templates remain relevant and aligned with any changes in your organization's processes, policies, or regulatory requirements.

Standardized Fields and Categories: Establish standardized fields and categories in your incident report templates. This promotes consistency and makes it easier to analyze and compare incidents across different reports. Include essential details such as incident date, time, location, description, impact, and actions taken.

Customization Options: Provide customization options within your incident report templates. Not all incidents are the same, and having the flexibility to add or modify fields allows for capturing specific details that may be unique to certain incidents or industries.

Training and Guidance: Offer training and guidance to users on how to effectively use the incident report templates. Ensure that everyone understands the purpose of the template, the required information to be filled in, and any specific guidelines or protocols to follow.

Version Control: Implement version control for your incident report templates. This helps track changes made to the templates over time and ensures that the latest version is always used. Maintain a centralized repository for storing and managing the templates to avoid confusion or duplication.

Collaboration and Accessibility: Enable collaboration and accessibility features for your incident report templates. This allows multiple team members to contribute to a report simultaneously and ensures that the templates are easily accessible by authorized personnel whenever needed.

Documentation Storage and Retention: Establish a system for storing and retaining incident reports securely. Determine the appropriate retention period based on regulatory requirements and organizational needs. Consider utilizing digital storage solutions or cloud-based platforms for easy retrieval and long-term archiving.

Continuous Improvement: Continuously seek feedback from users of the incident report templates. Encourage suggestions for improvement and incorporate any necessary updates or enhancements based on user input or lessons learned from incident investigations.

Remember, these tips are general guidelines, and you may need to adapt them to your specific organization's requirements and industry standards.

Incident Report Templates for All Teams and Organizations

When it comes to incident management and reporting, every team or organization must have a solid set of guidelines to follow and implement when needed. These are only some of the templates from ClickUp’s library that you can use to reduce the time spent on creating documents from scratch. Find all kinds of templates for every department, work, and industry. Get access to ClickUp’s template library with a free ClickUp account. Sign-up here today!

Did we miss your favorite template in this article? Suggest it here!

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How to write an incident report?

Even with all the safety measures in place, safety incidents can still happen. The big question is: how do you learn from them?

The answer lies in the incident report.

What is an incident report?

An incident report is a written account of a situation that has occurred. It provides a record of events that led up to an accident, as well as its immediate aftermath.

The primary purpose of writing an incident report is to learn from the mistakes and prevent the recurrence of the same kind of incident in future. This is especially important if there are injuries involved, as it will help workers understand how they can avoid similar accidents in the future. It also helps management understand what went wrong and how they can improve their policies or procedures so that workers are safer in the future.

An incident report is necessary when:

• There’s a serious injury to any employee or customer (or a visitor).
• An accident causes major damage to equipment or property.
• An accident caused by someone else’s carelessness or negligence — even if it’s a near-miss .
• Any other situation where you feel that an accident could have caused significant harm or concerns regarding the safety of employees, vendors, customers or any other people in the vicinity.

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Download free incident report template. Available as Word, Excel or PDF formats.

What should you include in an incident report.

An incident report is necessary to record anything from a minor mishap to a major accident and should include all relevant information such as who was involved, what happened and when it happened.

A basic incident report should contain answers to the following questions:.

What happened?

Make sure you include all the details, such as who was involved and what was damaged, lost or destroyed.

When & where did it happen?

Your report should contain the date, time and location where the accident took place. If your company uses a system to track such information, try using that same system for your reports.

Who were involved?

Include other people who were present at the time of the incident or accident and what they did at the time of the incident. This will help determine how exactly the incident happened and any other secondary contributing factors.

What did they do?

Detail out what each of those persons was doing just before, during and after the incident. This is an important detail to help you get down to the bottom of the incident and truly understand the root cause.

Why did it happen?

Your report should explain why the accident occurred so that anyone reading it can understand how it happened and what could have been done differently to prevent it from occurring again.

Were there any witnesses?

You’ll need witness statements from the people nearby and any other involved parties to help explain an event or clarify who was involved.

What is the extent of damage to a person or property?

This would include the severity of the incident as well as any person or equipment damaged in the incident and the follow-up treatment.

Step-by-step process to write an incident report

1. Collect the information

The first step is to collect all the relevant information. This includes all the details of the incident, including wh en it occurred, where it took place, what happened and how many people were affected. You should also include any photos or video evidence that could be relevant. You can use checklists or an incident reporting software like Safetymint to help you collect the necessary data.

2. Establish the order of events

Once you have collected all the information about an incident, you need to determine exactly what happened. An effective incident report starts with a summary of what transpired, followed by a description of each event in chronological order. The order of events is crucial because it helps investigators determine whether there is any pattern to the problem and how to fix it.

3. Analyze the root cause

After determining the exact sequence in which the incident occurred, you need to analyze the root cause of this problem to identify ways of preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The analysis can also include a review of previous incidents that were similar in nature and frequency leading up to this particular incident. This will help you understand if there is a common cause for all these events or not.

4. Formulate corrective action

With the root cause of the event clear, you can then discuss to formulate corrective and preventive action (CAPA) to avoid a similar incident in the future. These corrective actions should be based on past experiences and lessons learned rather than just assumptions or guesses.

You can also involve other team members or stakeholders who may know about preventing such events from reoccurring in the future. All of these information will be helpful for the investigative team to understand what went wrong and suggest recommendations

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Best practices to follow when writing an incident report

A good incident report should include as many details as possible about the event. Here are some tips for writing an effective incident report:

Describe what happened in detail

Include all facts related to the incident, such as who was involved, when and where it took place, how many people were involved and what they were doing at the time of the accident.

For example, if someone fell from scaffolding due to faulty equipment or improper use of equipment, provide as much information about what the person was doing, the equipment they were handling and the safety protocols followed/neglected — so that others can learn from it and avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Be objective when describing events

Don’t editorialize or speculate about why something happened — simply state what happened and how it affected you or others involved in the accident.

The most important thing about being objective is not allowing emotion to cloud your judgment. Write down what you saw and heard, not what you thought or felt at the time. Avoid making assumptions and using words like “I think” or “I believe” when describing the events.

Be as thorough and accurate as possible, but avoid going into excessive detail about things like how you felt during the incident or what others said afterwards.

Use simple language

Your goal should be for anyone who reads your report to understand exactly what happened without needing any additional context or background information. So avoid using complex phrases or technical terms unless necessary. Otherwise, stick with simple language and avoid using abbreviations or acronyms unless they are widely accepted within your industry.

Include photos, if possible

If the incident caused physical damage, take photos so they can be included with your report. Photos will help show any damages or injuries resulting from the situation and clarify any questions about what happened during the incident.

How Safetymint can help in reporting incidents

Safetymint is an online incident management system developed to help organizations manage safety incidents, observations and near misses . It improves your safety culture by getting more people involved in reporting incidents and it enables you to gather the right data to make better decisions.

Instant reporting

Safetymint offers a simple & quick process for reporting incidents, which helps ensure that all necessary details are captured and recorded correctly. Employees can report hazards themselves through their mobile phones or computers anywhere and at any time.

No prior training

Safetymint has an intuitive interface that’s direct and simple enough that anyone with a smartphone or access to a computer can quickly report the incidents — without any prior training.

Overall dashboard view

The safety dashboard allows you to track your leading and lagging indicators at one glance to monitor performance and take corrective action wherever necessary. This will help you develop effective solutions for reducing injuries and improving overall workplace health and safety performance.

Custom investigation workflow

Safetymint includes a 5-step incident investigation process which includes the following steps: Incident reporting , Setting up and investigation team, Root cause analysis , Recommended actions and Review and Closure. This process can be used for both internal as well as external investigations.

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Resolve incident with a 5-step incident investigation process. Available both on Mobile and Desktop browsers.

Create an Incident Report in Minutes With These Templates

An Incident Report is a crucial record that maintains track of occurrences and aids in the improvement of the customer experience. It is often used in software development, customer service, and other sectors.

It is generally the first step in resolving a problem or issue that a customer, team, or organization encounters. A written record of a problem or occurrence that has been recognized, investigated, and resolved is called an incident report.

You should fill out an incident report regardless of how minor the problem or occurrence is.

Incident reports are crucial because they aid in the analysis of problems, the identification of solutions, and the improvement of service delivery.

An incident report provides all of the data of an incident, such as what happened, when it happened, the nature of the occurrence, the business impact, and so on.

The incident report also documents the time taken to resolve the incident, the specific person involved in the resolution, the team of people who handled the incident, troubleshooting steps taken to fix the issue, customer updates, etc.

When it comes to dealing with incidents, the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework, namely incident and problem management, is crucial. Incident management aims to get the service back up and operating as quickly as possible. Incident reporting is one of the most important phases in Incident management.

Other sections of ITIL are change management, service asset and configuration management , and service level management are closely related to incidents.

The known error database (KEDB), which is maintained by problem management, is a powerful instrument in incident diagnosis. The KEDB database contains a list of all known faults or defects that have caused incidents in the past and methods for fixing or overcoming them.

Types of incidents

Many distinct types of incidents occur in IT infrastructure, and they are classified as major incidents, repeated incidents, and complex incidents.

• Major incidents: Large-scale accidents don’t happen very often, but when they do, they cause disruptions in businesses, which have a significant impact on the business. Incidents such as server reboots, application failures, and so on. Businesses must be ready to deal with them swiftly and effectively.
• Repetitive Incidents: Misconfiguration of IT devices or applications can lead to a recurrence of incidents. Escalating the problem to a higher technical team is the best way to deal with it. Such incidents may or may not have a significant impact, but they will accumulate in your toolbox, and your support team will devote time to resolving them.
• Complex Incidents: The majority of the incidents that occur are of a level 3 or 4 nature, which the support help desk would be able to resolve. However, every now and again, a difficult incident would arise that would necessitate the assistance of a level 1 or level 2 engineer or subject matter expert (SME).

In some cases, incidents are categorized based on severity, such as L1 (high impact), L2, L3 to L4 (least impact).

As per the ITIL framework, the process of incident management starts from identification, logging, categorization, prioritization, diagnosis, escalation to the next support level (if required), resolution, and closure.

In all businesses, incident reporting and management is a critical step. Incident management is the well-organized approach across businesses of all sizes to respond to failures, incidents, accidents, cyber-attacks , outages, and breaches, among other things.

Here are a few examples of incident use cases:

• Incident reports are critical in the event of a fire or any other type of accident in a business, whether for insurance claims or legal processes. Incident reports explain all aspects of the incident that occurred in the business.
• Employees who have observed any type of violent incident in the workplace should fill out Workplace Violent Incident Report Forms.
• When an injury happens at work, a workplace incident report is used. These reports may be useful in preventing similar incidents in the future.
• The failure of a significant server, networking device, or any other service in an IT firm is recorded and notified using appropriate incident management.

Essential elements that should be part of an incident report

The person experiencing the problem or the team supporting related operations usually creates an incident report with input from others involved in resolving it.

Incident reports are a vital part of any infrastructure’s health and safety routine, and depending on the nature of the incident, an incident report might be concise or thorough.

A brief report is appropriate if the occurrence is minor and has little impact. However, if the incident is serious, all information must be recorded while preparing a complete major incident report.

Here are a few key elements to include in your incident report:

• Incident raised: The name of the individual who made the incident report/ticket
• Time of acknowledgment: It is critical to capture the correct date and time since it aids in measuring the effects of SLA ( service level agreement) .
• Services are being hampered: Identifying which services are unavailable will allow the appropriate team to participate in the troubleshooting process.
• Whether or not the SLA was breached: Breaching the SLA would result in a penalty and escalation.
• Description of the incident: Rather than writing excessive information, the description should be concise and relevant, covering the actual occurrence details.
• Business impact: Severe incident causes outages or major breakdown leading to business impact. Senior management and stakeholders are involved in such incident calls.
• Action taken: After the situation has been resolved and services have returned to normal, action taken actions are written, including all stages and troubleshooting methods in the KEDB (Known Error Database) database for future reference.

Do’s and Don’ts in incident report preparation.

While drafting an incident report, keep the following Dos and Don’ts in mind:

• Describe your issues in detail
• Focus on the facts.
• Assume that the report will be made public
• Make a sound professional decision
• Consider mitigating circumstances.
• Determine if a security breach has occurred and developed a feasible implementation strategy
• Understand your facility’s incident reporting policy and procedure.
• Use professional terms and write legibly.
• Include the names and addresses of any employees or visitors who are aware of the situation
• Speculate and assume without knowing the facts
• Discuss previous similar occurrences.
• Talk about money, costs, and spending decisions.
• Discuss failures or delays in acting.
• Predict what will happen if nothing is done.
• In the report, include insignificant facts that implicate or blame anyone for the occurrence.

Precautions to take when an incident occurs

• Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions such as shutting down systems, restarting highly critical services, logging into production servers without the owner’s knowledge, stopping databases, etc.
• Don’t assume that incident would erase complete data and take a dramatic step like running full backup and slowing the infrastructure.
• When debugging an issue, don’t use non-forensic or unapproved software because it may overwrite important information that will be needed later.
• Don’t panic every time something happens. Respond and open the bridge call based on severity to begin working on significant situations.
• Secrecy of outages or major breakdowns: Major outages or major breakdowns in organizations that have a business impact should not be disclosed outside of the company because such news could become public and promote negative publicity about the company.

Incident report templates

An incident report template is carefully described and written by industry specialists so that the incident raiser may quickly capture the details rather than wasting time drafting the incident report outline.

The incident template gives a comprehensive and precise account of the situation, allowing management to make swift and informed decisions. It also aids in the recording of any incidences that are necessary during corporate audit processes and even customer meetings.

The information in the incident report template will be valuable for raising management awareness and improving the efficacy and efficiency of the incident management activities.

Let’s take a look at some of the most well-known and widely utilized incident report templates:

Smartsheet is an award-winning company that offers a variety of incident templates for a variety of business sectors.

It is a cloud-based platform that provides incident templates and enables teams and organizations to launch major projects and day-to-day operations while maintaining the management, compliance, and security that top-level IT demands.

According to its website, 90 percent of Fortune 100 corporations utilize its templates.

In addition to incident templates, the site offers the ITIL post-mortem template and checklist, a security incident post-mortem template, a root cause analysis report template , and many more.

The incident report templates make it easy to record and remember important details from an accident, injury, workplace incident, security breach, or any other unexpected event. The form can include a summary of the incident, personal information for any individuals whose privacy has been breached, the consequences of data loss, and any physical or technical security breaches.

The data breach incident report template can assist your IT staff in logging the severity of security breaches and creating a strategy to avoid them in the future. It also helps keep track of anything from data breaches to privacy violations to viruses and denial-of-service assaults.

Smartsheet platform also has a post-mortem incident template, making it easy to capture key incident details for clear documentation and review. The template includes sections for post-mortem date, incident overview, root cause information, follow-up, etc.

monday.com Incident template

monday.com is a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to design their own specialized tools to help them manage their businesses more efficiently. Companies can use these technologies to better align teamwork, increase efficiency, and boost output.

monday.com incident template is a thorough form for recording the entire incident process, including appointing CIRT members (computer incident response team), recording resolution estimates, and analyzing previous issues, among other things. To reach this goal, you do not need to remove any of your existing apps or software. After just a few minutes of installation, you are ready to use this incident reporting template.

One of the most appealing features of this design is that it is customizable, allowing users to quickly incorporate various CRM and support platforms such as Jira, GitLab, BugHerd, Salesforce, Slack, and over 1500 more.

The platform allows you to quickly import data from an existing excel sheet into the incident template and export data to other applications. The incident data can be filtered to understand better the situation based on severity, root cause analysis, and other factors.

Safety Culture

Safety Culture offers a variety of incident report templates for a variety of industries, including construction, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, information technology, transportation, logistics, etc.

On the site, you can find accident, fire, employee, car, and workplace incident reports, among other things.

It contains an iAuditor module, a mobile app that allows you to digitize all aspects of your operations by capturing faults and taking corrective action.

This module collects consistent data, identifies areas for improvement, shares reports, and allows working groups to collaborate. The information gathered will be stored in a secure cloud and can be accessed anytime and from any location.

Template lab

Templatelab offers a variety of incident report templates for 60+ different types of incidents, all of which have been produced by designers, business, and legal professionals.

These incident templates are applicable to various industries, including finance, real estate, education, art and media, and legal proceedings.

Simple incident reports are available on the site, as well as reports for insurance claims and legal situations such as court cases.

These are simple incident templates that must be downloaded and filled with incident facts. They are neither digitalized nor cloud-based.

Incident Report

The Incident report site is a complete incident management platform hosted in the cloud. The site assists with creating simple incident reports as well as workflows , notification alerts, and escalation.

This site provides a large collection of incident report templates that may be used in various sectors. The site allows users to select a simple incident report and customize it to meet their individual needs.

One of the site’s unique features is that it includes a form builder that can be used to create a custom incident report template from scratch.

This site provides online functionality to develop workflows based on follow-up forms or notification procedures that can be maintained via mobile devices at any moment during the incident management process.

Sampleforms

By providing simple and customized incident templates designed by professionals, Sample forms eliminate the time-consuming burden of creating incident reports.

Individuals and organizations can use these incident templates to meet their own business needs, and they can be edited with a few simple clicks.

Incident report templates supporting various sections are available on the site, such as accident incidents, emergency incidents, environmental incident report templates, security incidents, workplace violence/injury incident report forms, etc.

These incident templates are available in PDF, Word, and Excel formats for download. These are simple incident report templates that may be downloaded and used in a variety of sectors.

Benefits of filling out and using incident reports

Incident reporting and incident management are critical parts of a successful organization, irrespective of sector. Let’s see a few benefits:

• Incident reports assist investigators in preventing a repeat of the incident, potentially saving lives or money.
• Organizations can use trend studies of frequent occurrences of incidents to take preemptive measures to avoid big disasters.
• Develops a positive and enthusiastic attitude toward safety.
• It also aids businesses in keeping proper documents and revoking them if needed for evidence.
• Keeping track of incidents comply with legal requirements relating to compensation, judicial actions, and so on.
• Increases employee ownership of safety and boosts their self-esteem.
• Incident reports also enable stakeholders to identify trends in SLA breaches and outages, which they can use to take appropriate action and present to senior management.
• Reports also aid in discussing essential facts that would otherwise go unnoticed.

To minimize more troubles or serious consequences, the most crucial step is to have a proper framework or system in place to respond to an incident.

A well-written, meticulously researched report can help prevent such occurrences, establish good faith, encourage job satisfaction and inclusion, and protect a company from legal liability.

Initial incident facts, detailed incident information, Incident description, business impact, corrective action performed, and so on make up a reliable incident report.

The incident report templates listed above can be used to document incident details in a professional manner.

You may also be interested in security incident response tools .

What is Incident Response? Ultimate Guide + Templates

Kaye Timonera

eSecurity Planet content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More .

Incident Response is a systematic method for addressing and managing security incidents in organizations, focused on minimizing and investigating the impact of events and restoring normal operations.

When an incident is spotted, typically by an alert or observation, response teams swing into action to address any damage and prevent it from spreading. They may disconnect infected systems, disable services, or prevent suspicious connections. Response teams also conduct an investigation into the incident, gathering evidence and studying the causes in order to determine the nature of the threat and any vulnerabilities exploited. Communication is critical, with response teams keeping everyone informed, including management, IT staff, victims, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders.

Jump ahead to:

How Does Incident Response Work?

• 10 Common Types of Security Incidents

Incident Response Steps

What to include in an incident response plan, 6 incident response plan templates, nist & sans incident response frameworks, what software is used for incident response, bottom line: preparing for incident response.

Incident response inside an organization often depends on a specialized security team that is tasked with quickly identifying and addressing active security incidents and notifying the business of potential security risks. These diligent defenders need to be well-prepared and have a thorough response plan. In smaller organizations, IT staffers may have to switch hats when incidents occur. In either case, preparation is critical.

Organizations must practice incident response if they want to stop data breaches and cyberattacks. To be effective, incident response must quickly determine the type and scope of the attack, investigate the impacted systems, stop the source of the attack, and contain the potential damage by isolating affected systems and networks to avoid additional compromise.

After eliminating immediate dangers, incident response activities move to thorough remediation, determining the issue’s fundamental cause and taking urgent action to remedy it. This lessens the possibility that instances like these may occur again in the future.

Incident response also involves an in-depth assessment of the incident aftermath, where a continuous learning process occurs. By analyzing the response, evaluating the effectiveness of measures, and identifying areas for improvement, organizations can further enhance their security posture and be better prepared to face future potential incidents.

• How to Create an Incident Response Plan
• Best Incident Response Tools and Software
• Top Vulnerability Management Tools

​​10 Common Types of Security Incidents

Understanding the dynamic nature of cyber threats is important, as they can manifest a single isolated attack or multiple simultaneous attacks at the same time. By familiarizing ourselves with these 10 common types of security incidents, we can improve our defenses that ensure the security of our digital space.

• Insider threats : This refers to the risk posed by individuals within an organization who have authorized access but misuse it to intentionally or unintentionally harm the organization’s security, systems, or data.
• Malware: Malicious software that can damage computer systems and data, and even steal data, credentials and other critical information. There are many types of malware , such as viruses, trojans and ransomware .
• Phishing attacks: Deceptive techniques, such as fraudulent emails or websites, trick individuals into revealing sensitive information like credit card and payment information, passwords, or login credentials.
• Ransomware attacks: Ransomware is an extortion attack that encrypts a victim’s files, demanding a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key, often causing significant disruptions and data loss to the company. Recent tactics have shifted to data theft and threats to release sensitive data if the ransom isn’t paid.
• Malvertising: Malicious advertisements that are distributed through legitimate ad networks, including paid search results, and can lead users to infected websites or trigger downloads of malware.
• Distributed denial-of-service attacks: DDoS attacks overwhelm a target’s network or website with a flood of incoming traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users with the use of a botnet.
• Social engineering attacks: These involve manipulating individuals to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or systems. Examples include baiting, pretexting, and impersonation.
• Data breaches: A data breach occurs when unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive data, such as personal information, credit card or other payment information, and intellectual property.
• Password attacks: These involve various methods to obtain or crack passwords, including brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, or credential stuffing. There are multiple password management solutions that are readily available in the market to help you protect your passwords, with the help of passkeys too.
• Web application attacks: An attacker can gain unauthorized access to sensitive user information, compromise a website’s data, manipulate content, and disrupt functionality through web application attacks and vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting ( XSS ), SQL injection , cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and server-side request forgery (SSRF).
• How to Recover From a Ransomware Attack
• How to Stop DDoS Attacks in Three Stages

Planning for incidents proactively ensures the smooth operation of your business and helps protect against risks, security breaches and unanticipated disruption. Developing a thorough incident response strategy is important for identifying and incorporating the main components that will ensure the efficacy of your plan.

• Preparation: This step involves establishing a comprehensive incident response plan , educating team members, and executing essential preventative steps to limit potential risks.
• Identification: The purpose of identification is to discover and assess the type and breadth of a cyber event as quickly as possible to identify impacted systems, networks, or data.
• Containment: Once the incident has been recognized, urgent steps are required to mitigate its impact and prevent its spread by isolating affected systems or networks.
• Eradication: This entails addressing the incident’s fundamental cause, removing any harmful presence, and returning impacted systems or networks to their normal working condition.
• Recovery: Here the focus shifts to restoring regular services, including data recovery, system reconfiguration, and business continuity.
• Learning: Following the resolution of the incident, a detailed analysis is performed to determine the incident’s causes, identify vulnerabilities, and adopt steps to prevent such problems in the future.
• Retesting: This final step is where systems and networks are carefully evaluated to assess the effectiveness of security fixes and the comprehensiveness and reliability of the incident response plan.

Read more: 7 Steps to the Incident Response Process & Frameworks

The scope and specifics of your organization’s incident response plan depends on several factors, including the size and complexity of your infrastructure, the nature of your business operations, the level of sensitivity of your data, regulatory requirements, and the specific threats and vulnerabilities relevant to your industry. Here are some common elements to include in an incident response plan:

• Introduction: A summary of the incident response plan’s purpose and key parties engaged.
• System overview: A description of the important systems and network infrastructure that are subject to incident response.
• Architecture model: A diagram or description of the network and system architecture used to understand possible attack surfaces.
• System hardware inventory: A detailed catalog of hardware components, devices, and configurations to help in incident investigation.
• Audit logging: Information on the logging systems used to trace system activity and aid forensic investigations.
• System contacts: A list of relevant contacts and their duties, such as members of the incident response team and external stakeholders.
• Response procedure/process: A step-by-step guide explaining the steps to be done when reacting to a range of occurrences.
• Confirmation of a security event: The criteria and method for confirming and validating the occurrence of a security event.
• Assessing impact: Techniques for assessing an incident’s immediate impact on systems, data, and operations.
• Escalate to ISO: The procedure for reporting issues to higher-level management, such as the Information Security Officer (ISO).
• P3/P4 data incident response activities: Procedures to aid in the response to events involving sensitive data (P3/P4) in accordance with data breach protocols.
• Remediation for P1 systems: Guidelines for dealing with and recovering from the most significant incidents impacting P1 systems (lower security), with the goal of achieving rapid resolution.

Selecting the best incident response template for your needs depends on a range of factors, encompassing your organization’s industry, scale, regulatory prerequisites, and particular necessities. Here are some of the best available models for incident response plans, many linking directly to a downloadable document, along with their strengths and uses. We’ll delve into two of the best-known – NIST and SANS – in the next section.

• NIST ( Get the free template here ): The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) furnishes a comprehensive and well respected framework for cybersecurity and incident response.
• SANS ( Get the free template here ): SANS offers a number of resources for incident response, encompassing templates and manuals. Their materials are recognized for their pragmatism and relevance to practical scenarios.
• Cynet Incident Response Template ( Get the free template here ): Cynet offers a useful template, relatively simple and straightforward, with an emphasis on compliance too.
• California Department of Technology Incident Response Plan ( Get the free template here ): At just four pages, this one asks important questions that any incident response plan should incorporate.
• University of California at Berkeley ( Get the free template here ): Another good model at just seven pages, with an emphasis on incident response escalation and sensitive data.
• State of Michigan ( Get the free template here ): A very good template; its emphasis on incident severity stands out.

In general, the NIST framework is highly regarded and often the best starting point for developing incident response plans, and SANS offers well regarded guidance too. All of these are with a look, though. The best choice – or combination of choices – will depend on the specific needs and circumstances of your organization, and any template will need to be adjusted and customized to fit your specific requirements.

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the SANS Institute are two prominent organizations in the cybersecurity field that play significant roles in shaping the landscape and developing various frameworks, including incident response. By following these recognized frameworks, organizations can strengthen their security posture, mitigate risks, and build a more secure digital environment.

NIST Incident Response Steps

Step 1: preparation.

Setting up an incident response team, outlining roles and duties, developing incident response policies and procedures, and doing routine training and drills are all part of the preparation phase.

Step 2: Detection and Analysis

Organizations monitor their networks and systems for indications of possible problems during the detection and analysis phase. Once an event is discovered, it is investigated to determine its type, extent, and effects. This entails obtaining proof, figuring out the reason, and evaluating the danger to the company.

Step 3: Containment, Eradication and Recovery

After an occurrence is confirmed, urgent steps are made to limit and lessen its effects (containment, eradication, and recovery). In order to do this, infected systems must be isolated, malicious components must be eliminated, backup data must be restored, and regular operations must be resumed.

Step 4: Post-Incident Activity

Following the resolution of an incident, organizations carry out post-incident activities such as conducting a comprehensive post-incident review, compiling lessons learned, updating incident response plans and procedures, and sharing information with pertinent stakeholders to enhance future incident response capabilities.

SANS Incident Response Steps

The SANS incident response process’s first step is similar to NIST’s in that it involves getting ready. The creation of incident response policies and procedures, the formation of an incident response team, the definition of roles and duties, and the availability of appropriate tools and resources are all part of this.

Step 2: Identification

The purpose of this step is to locate and establish the existence of an incident. To ascertain the nature and scope of the incident, organizations gather data, carry out investigations, and execute analyses.

Step 3: Containment

Immediately after an occurrence is verified, steps are made to stop its spread and limit additional harm. This includes shutting down vulnerable systems, restricting harmful activities, and guarding against unauthorized entry.

Step 4: Eradication

During this step, businesses clean up any evidence of the incident from the impacted systems, including any malware or unauthorized access points. To stop further events, it could be necessary to fix vulnerabilities, delete compromised accounts, or reconfigure systems.

Step 5: Recovery

After the event has been eliminated, attention is turned toward recovering the impacted systems and returning them to a state in which they are operationally normal. This includes reconfiguring the system, restoring data from backups, and thoroughly testing everything to make sure it works as it should.

Step 6: Lessons Learned

The last step entails conducting a post-event assessment to evaluate the incident response procedure, pinpoint areas that require improvement, and draw lessons from the occurrence. In order to improve organization-wide incident response capabilities in the future, this stage also includes upgrading incident response plans and procedures and recording lessons learned.

There are various software and security tools for incident response, this depends on the specific needs and preferences of an organization. Here are some commonly used tools for incident response:

Security Information and  Event Management (SIEM) Systems

SIEM systems aggregate and analyze security events and logs from various sources, providing real-time monitoring, threat detection, and incident response capabilities. These tools provide alerts that help to identify attacks in progress and log file analysis for investigating the attack.

Incident Response Platforms (IRPs)

Incident response platforms offer centralized incident management, coordination, and workflow automation. They assist in documenting, tracking, and orchestrating incident response activities.

Forensic Tools

Digital forensic tools help in collecting and analyzing digital evidence that is related to an incident. The evidence, such as log files, determine the root cause and impact of the incident. These tools support investigations, and post-attack analysis, and preserve evidence for potential legal actions.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Systems

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools gather log files and analyze endpoint activities to detect suspicious behavior or indicators of compromise and can take automated actions for initial containment.

Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs)

Threat intelligence platforms provide organizations with the latest information regarding emerging threats, malicious actors, and indicators of compromise. They help enhance incident response capabilities by providing actionable security and intelligence to prepare for likely attacks.

Incident response is a methodical way of dealing with and managing security issues. Preparation, detection and analysis, containment and mitigation, investigation and forensics, communication and reporting, and recovery are all part of the process. The goal of good incident response planning is to reduce the effect of events, determine their causes, and return operations to normal.

Incident response strategies should be tailored to each organization’s needs and supported by a range of security and response solutions. Finally, incident response is an iterative process that needs continuous testing, training, and improvement to manage future issues efficiently.

Further reading:

• Best Disaster Recovery Solutions
• Best Business Continuity Solutions
• Best Backup Solutions for Ransomware Protection
• Best Ransomware Removal and Recovery Services

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7 Incident Response Plan Templates & Examples

Writing your IR plan from scratch? Not sure where to begin? Get a head start with these free templates and examples.

What is an incident response plan template?

An incident response plan template is a pre-structured document that provides a framework and guidelines for creating an organization's incident response plan. It outlines the necessary steps and procedures to follow before, during, and after a security incident to effectively detect, respond to, and recover from cyber attacks or data breaches.

Common Components of an IR Plan Template

Purpose and Scope : Defines the objectives and the extent of the plan's application.

Roles and Responsibilities : Specifies who is responsible for each aspect of the response.

Incident Response Phases :

Preparation : Establishes readiness measures.

Detection and Analysis : Identifies and assesses incidents.

Containment, Eradication, and Recovery : Manages the incident and restores operations.

Post-Incident Activity : Reviews and improves the response process.

Communication Protocols : Outlines internal and external communication paths.

Severity Levels : Defines incident severity and response times.

Documentation and Reporting : Details what information needs to be recorded and reported.

Quickstart Cloud Incident Response Template

The only IR plan template on the web built with the cloud in mind.

7 Incident Response Plan Templates

1. wiz cloud incident response template.

# of pages: 14

Link: https://www.wiz.io/lp/cloud-incident-response-plan-template

When searching for incident response templates online, you'll quickly find that most available resources are quite generic. These templates typically focus on broad principles and procedures that apply to a variety of IT environments, rather than addressing the unique challenges and nuances of cloud computing. This can leave cloud-native organizations with significant gaps in their incident response strategy.

A cloud-specific template can help ensure that your IR plan:

Addresses unique cloud challenges: Cloud environments have distinct security considerations and potential incident types compared to on-premises infrastructure. A cloud-specific IR plan should accounts for these unique aspects, such as shared responsibility models, multi-tenancy, and distributed data storage.

Aligns with cloud architecture: Cloud environments often involve complex architectures with multiple services and interconnected components. A cloud IR plan should incidents across various cloud services and their interactions.

Incorporates cloud-native tools: Cloud providers offer native security and monitoring tools. A cloud-specific plan should integrate these tools into the incident response process, ensuring more effective detection, analysis, and remediation.

Wiz's Cloud Incident Response Plan Template is a detailed and practical guide designed to help organizations effectively manage and respond to security incidents in cloud environments. This template is particularly useful for organizations looking to create a robust cloud incident response plan from scratch or improve their existing plans. It covers a wide range of cloud-specific components and provides a structured approach to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated response to incidents.

2. NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

# of pages: 79

Link: https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/specialpublications/nist.sp.800-61r2.pdf

The NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide (Special Publication 800-61) provides practical guidelines for organizations to effectively respond to computer security incidents. Here are the key aspects of this guide:

Purpose: The guide aims to assist organizations in mitigating risks from computer security incidents by offering practical guidelines on responding to future incidents effectively and efficiently.

Scope: It covers establishing an effective incident response program, with a primary focus on detecting, analyzing, prioritizing, and handling incidents.

Target Audience: The guide is intended for computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs), system and network administrators, security staff, technical support staff, chief information security officers (CISOs), chief information officers (CIOs), and computer security program managers.

Key Components:

Guidelines for establishing an incident response program

Steps for incident handling, including detection, analysis, and response

Advice on incident handling coordination and information sharing

How to Draw Up an Incident Response Policy: An Actionable Checklist for Cybersecurity Professionals

3. sans institute incident handlers handbook.

# of pages: 19

Link: https://sansorg.egnyte.com/dl/6Btqoa63at

The SANS Incident Handlers Handbook is a practical guide for managing cybersecurity incidents. It provides a basic foundation for IT professionals and managers to create their own incident response policies, standards, and teams within their organizations.

The handbook also offers a structured approach to incident handling while allowing for customization to fit specific organizational needs. It is widely recognized for its thoroughness and practicality, making it a valuable resource for both new and experienced incident handlers. The handbook includes an incident handler's checklist that can be used to ensure each step of the incident response process is being followed during an incident.

While having an Incident Response (IR) plan is crucial for outlining the overall strategy and responsibilities during a security incident, it's not enough on its own. You also need detailed Incident Response Playbooks. These playbooks provide step-by-step procedures tailored to specific types of incidents, such as data breaches, ransomware attacks, or phishing attempts.

4. Health Sector Coordinating Council's Coordinated Healthcare Incident Response Plan (CHIRP)

Link: https://healthsectorcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/HIC-CHIRP-FINAL_1.pdf

The Health Industry Cybersecurity Coordinated Healthcare Incident Response Plan (HIC-CHIRP) template is crafted to address the unique operational impacts of cybersecurity incidents on patient care.

Unlike generic plans, it focuses on integrating existing emergency management, business continuity, and downtime procedures specific to healthcare. This template guides healthcare organizations in developing a customized incident response plan that ensures continuity of care and patient safety during cyber incidents. 

5. California Government Department of Technology Example

# of pages: 4

Link: https://cdt.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/templates_incident_response_plan.doc

The California Department of Technology's Incident Response Plan Example is a comprehensive 17-step template designed to guide organizations through the process of responding to active incidents.

Here are some key takeaways from the template:

Incident Discovery and Reporting: It emphasizes establishing clear procedures for how different personnel (IT staff, managers, security personnel) should report a suspected incident.

Initial Assessment: The plan outlines how to gather information about the incident, such as its severity, potential impact, and affected systems.

Classification and Response: Based on the assessment, the team follows specific procedures tailored to the incident type (virus, intrusion, denial-of-service etc.).

Containment and Eradication: The plan covers steps to stop the ongoing threat and restore affected systems.

Documentation and Review: It highlights the importance of documenting the incident details, response actions, and lessons learned to improve future responses.

The biggest names in the industry agree that traditional incident response methods often fall short in addressing the complexities of cloud environments. Gartner recognizes cloud investigation and response automation as an indispensable technology in the cybersecurity landscape. Gartner views CIRA as a strategic investment for organizations looking to fortify their security posture in the cloud. Simply put, the shift to cloud computing brings unprecedented opportunities but also introduces new risks.

6. National Institute of Health (NIH) IR Template

# of pages: 23

Link: https://wiki.nci.nih.gov/download/attachments/384206504/NIH%20Incident%20Response%20Plan%20Template.docx?version=1&modificationDate=1551914351000&api=v2

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Incident Response (IR) plan template is specifically tailored for NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs). Given its NIH-specific nature, organizations outside of NIH would need to adapt this template significantly if they were to use it as a basis for their own incident response plans. However, it could still serve as a useful reference for how a large, complex federal organization structures its incident response planning.

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7. University of Connecticut IR Plan Example

# of pages: 10

Link: https://security.uconn.edu/incident-response-plan/

The University of Connecticut (UConn) has a comprehensive Incident Response (IR) plan that outlines how the institution handles information security incidents. The plan provides guidance for responding to data security incidents, determining their scope and risk, and ensuring appropriate responses, including communication to stakeholders. It applies to all UConn information systems, institutional data, networks, and anyone accessing these systems or data.

UConn's plan defines key roles in incident response, including:

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO): Coordinates incident management efforts and provides guidance to stakeholders.

Privacy Officer: Manages regulatory requirements and notifications.

Executive Response Team (ERT): Makes key decisions in managing incidents related to data with regulatory reporting requirements.

Incident Response Coordinator: Directs information gathering efforts and documents processes.

Incident Response Handler: Gathers data from systems and provides technical expertise.

 Their plan emphasizes the importance of proper communication, including:

Consulting with the Office of General Counsel for external law enforcement communications.

Coordinating with University Communications for public statements.

Establishing a single point of contact for addressing questions and concerns from affected individuals

How to Use an IR Plan Template

An effective incident response plan template should be used as a starting point to create a customized plan tailored to your organization's specific needs and environment. Here are some key guidelines for using a template effectively:

Customization is Key: Don't just fill in the blanks. Adapt the template to reflect your organization's structure, size, and specific threats. For instance, a small company might focus on critical systems, while a larger organization might have a more comprehensive plan.

Focus on Core Components: Ensure your plan covers essential aspects like:

Purpose and Scope: Define the plan's goals and what types of incidents it addresses.

Threat Scenarios: Identify potential threats your organization might face.

Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline who does what during an incident, including titles and contact information.

Incident Response Process: Establish a clear sequence of steps for incident detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident review.

Define Clear Roles and Communication:

Ownership and Responsibility: Assign specific roles for each stage of the response process, with clear titles and contact details for each team member.

Communication Protocols: Establish communication paths for escalation and information sharing during an incident. This includes who needs to be informed, what information needs to be communicated, and how often updates should be provided.

Create a Flexible and Adaptable Process:

Tailored Approach: The response process should be adaptable to different types of incidents while providing a clear sequence of events to follow.

Severity Levels and Response Times: Define different incident severity levels and set corresponding response and resolution times for each level. This helps prioritize efforts based on the incident's impact.

Maintain, Review, and Update Regularly:

Regular Review: Schedule quarterly reviews of the plan, incorporating lessons learned from past incidents and addressing new threats that emerge.

Supporting Documents: Consider developing supplementary documents for specific critical scenarios like zero-day attacks or ransomware outbreaks. These can provide more detailed guidance for handling such events.

Mistakes to Avoid When Using a Template

When using an incident response plan template, there are several key things to avoid to ensure you create an effective and tailored plan for your organization:

Don't use the template as-is without customization. Adapt the content to reflect your organization's specific structure, assets, systems, and potential threats.

Avoid being too IT-focused. Consult with non-technical teams like legal, compliance, HR, and communications when developing the plan.

Don't create the plan in isolation. Involve relevant stakeholders and supporting teams in the development process.

Avoid being too general or too specific. Strike a balance to make the plan actionable yet flexible enough to handle various incident types.

Don't neglect to establish a clear team structure and individual roles. Define responsibilities for each team member to prevent confusion during an incident.

Avoid failing to test the plan. Regularly conduct tabletop exercises and simulations to identify gaps and ensure the plan's effectiveness.

Don't let the plan become outdated. Review and update it regularly, especially after significant changes in your IT infrastructure or business operations.

Avoid overlooking the importance of communication protocols. Clearly define communication paths, what should be communicated, and to whom.

Don't forget to include severity levels and response times. Define incident severity levels and corresponding required response and resolution times.

Avoid creating the plan without considering its place in your overall document hierarchy. Ensure it aligns with other cybersecurity documents in your organization

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How to Send a Report in an Email With 10 Samples From Experts

• Last Updated June 28, 2024

You’ve spent hours, maybe even days; you did the research, you crafted the report, and you packed it with valuable insights. But when it comes to actually emailing it, there’s that sudden wave of uncertainty. You wonder:

• Is it too big to send? 
• Should I just send the link? 
• Will they even read it if it’s an attachment?  
• What if they can’t open it?

Been there!

But how do you send that report via email in a way that ensures it’s opened, read, and acted upon? We can say for a fact that a poorly sent report can go unnoticed or even end up in the dreaded spam folder.

In this article, we will discuss sending reports through email and guide you on how to do it right. Plus, we’ve prepared 10 sample emails for sending reports to help you learn and create your own emails easily. 

Let’s get started. 

Note: Struggling to get replies or book meetings with prospects that fit in your ICP? We’ll help you get 6 SQLs or book 6 meetings with prospects that are ready to buy for only $999/month. Book a 15-minute consultation now.

How to write a report email: key elements to include in a report email and how to format them

A report email delivers a specific set of information, often derived from research or data analysis, to an intended audience through the medium of email. The report email may contain attachments, visuals, or links to more extensive data repositories.

Now, when it comes to writing a report email, you must understand it’s not just about relaying information; it’s about ensuring your hard work receives the attention and action it deserves. Because of this, you need to consider the information you put inside the email and how you format it. 

Let’s discuss the information you need to include in your email for sending reports.

What to include in an email when sending a report

Below are the main elements you should include in the email to ensure your report doesn’t just end up gathering digital dust:

• Overview of the report (and why it matters): The email should always start by introducing your report. Clearly state its purpose and significance. For example, “The attached report details our Q3 financial growth and pinpoints areas that contributed to our 20% profit increase.”
• Dates, times, and information covered in the report : Provide a timeframe for your report. This helps readers place the data in context. Specify the period the report covers, like “This report covers the performance metrics from January 1 to March 31, 2023.”
• A brief detail of the main points (aka précis): A précis is a concise summary of the report’s main points. Offer a brief snapshot that highlights the most critical takeaways, giving readers a quick overview.
• Unusual data trends (any problems, irregularities, hurdles, or wins): Identify and explain any unexpected data or trends, whether they are challenges faced or unprecedented successes. This section adds depth and understanding to the data provided.
• The next steps: After presenting the information, guide your readers on what should come next. This could be a call to action, recommendations for improvements, or the indication of a follow-up meeting .

Report email format: sending a report in an email

As you probably figured, sending a report via email is a nuanced task that involves more than just attaching a file and hitting “Send”. It requires thoughtful presentation, a structured format, and pointed content to ensure your hard work garners the attention it deserves. 

So now that you’ve got your key components sorted, let’s format them into a cohesive email for sending a report. The process can be broken down into three main sections, as seen with most business emails :

• The subject line
• The email body
• The email ending

Now, let’s discuss how to write each section so that your report email stands out.  

How to write a report email subject line

The subject line is the first thing your recipient sees and determines whether your email gets opened at all. You need to make it concise and informative. That means it should be direct, relevant, and prompt curiosity or urgency to compel the recipient to open. 

Here are some examples of email subject lines you can use when sending a report in an email:

• “Q3 financial report & key takeaways”
• “Marketing analysis (Jan-Mar 2023): insights & recommendations”
• “Monthly health & safety audit results”
• “Project alpha: Post-implementation review & findings”
• “Client feedback survey results & insights”

How to write a report email body

This is where the magic happens and basically where you include all the key elements we’ve discussed earlier in your email. The tone you use here will depend on the relationship between you and the receiving party. 

But as a general rule, we recommend that you keep your emails in a professional or formal tone . That said, here is how you write the body of a report email. 

• Greeting: Always start with a professional greeting , such as “Dear [recipient’s name]” or “Hello team,”.
• Introduction: Briefly explain the purpose of the email and the attached report.
• Main content: Here, you can include your précis, mention any anomalies or challenges, and provide the report’s key details. Basically, outline the components mentioned in the “What to Include” section. Also, if your report is attached, mention the attachment clearly. 
• Call to action or next steps: Clearly state what you expect from the reader or what they should do next.

How to end a report email

Wrap up your email by summarizing the key takeaways and next steps. Finish with a formal sign-off , your name, and any post-script notes if needed. Here are the key elements you need to include in your report email ending:

• Thankfulness: Express gratitude for the reader’s time and consideration.
• Open for questions: Offer to clarify any points or answer questions related to the report.
• Signature: End with a professional signature that includes your name, title, company, and any contact details.

Here is an example: 

“Thank you for taking the time to review these insights. Should you have any questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

[your name]

[your signature] P.S. The full report is attached as a PDF.”

10 email samples for sending reports

Report email sample 1: routine monthly report .

A routine monthly report email is a staple in many organizations. It offers a snapshot of the month’s activities, metrics, achievements, and setbacks. Clarity and relevance are the two cornerstones for writing this email well. 

Start by framing the time period you’re referencing. Then, outline the central themes of the report, ensuring that any substantial achievements or challenges are foregrounded. Finally, encourage feedback or questions to foster engagement and discussion.

Here is a sample you can learn from:

Subject line: Monthly operations report – August 2023

Hello [name], I’m pleased to share the operations report for August 2023. You’ll find the report attached to this email.  Inside, you’ll find a detailed account of our monthly activities, notable accomplishments, and areas of improvement. Please take a moment to review and let me know if you have any questions or insights. Thank you. Best regards, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 2: Urgent incident reports 

As you write this report email, your goal is to get immediate attention and action. That’s why the email needs to be direct. 

So, start by clearly stating the incident at the beginning. Let them know what happened and how severe it is. Was personal or financial information leaked? Are you getting phishing attacks? Whatever it is, detail it.

Follow it with a brief detail on its implications and immediate next steps or recommendations. Given the urgency, it’s also essential to set the tone right – ensuring it conveys the gravity of the situation without inciting undue panic. Here is a sample email for this:

Subject line: URGENT: Incident report – System outage

Dear [recipient’s name], I’m writing to inform you about an unexpected system outage that occurred on 29th August. The attached report provides a detailed analysis of the incident, its impact, and the measures taken to resolve it. Immediate action is required to prevent recurrence. I urge you to review the report and join the emergency meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Best regards, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 3: Financial annual report 

Financial annual report emails provide a year-long overview of your business’s financial health, challenges, and achievements. So, always start your email by contextualizing the period in review. Highlight any overarching themes or significant financial milestones, and then prompt stakeholders for feedback. Here is an email sample you can emulate here:

Subject line: Financial Annual Report 2023

Dear Stakeholders, I’m delighted to present the Financial Annual Report for 2023. This report encapsulates our fiscal journey, showcasing our achievements, challenges, and growth trajectories over the past year. Your insights and feedback are invaluable. After reviewing, please share your thoughts ahead of our annual financial review meeting. Best regards, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 4: Research findings report 

Research findings report emails convey the culmination of intensive study or investigation. The creativity needed to write this email is to articulate the key discoveries and their implications in a comprehensive yet succinct way. 

Provide a brief about the research’s objective. Next, summarize the key findings and hint at their potential impact. Then, encourage the recipients to delve into the details and consider the implications for the broader organizational strategy. 

Here is a sample email for this:

Subject line: Research findings: customer behavior study 2023

Hello Team, The research on customer behavior throughout 2023 is complete. The attached report unravels our seminal discoveries, each echoing potential reverberations across our marketing and product development sectors.  I urge each member to immerse themselves in these findings, for they promise to be instrumental in sculpting our forward trajectory. I encourage everyone to review these insights as they’ll be foundational for our upcoming marketing initiatives. Best, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 5: Project completion report 

A project completion report email signifies the end of a journey. Your report should narrate the challenges surmounted, the goals achieved, and the lessons learned. 

So, for this email, recount the project’s objectives at the outset. Celebrate the milestones achieved and candidly address any hurdles faced. Close by inviting them to provide feedback and emphasize the collective effort that saw the project to its conclusion.

Subject line: Project Delta: Completion Report

Dear [recipient’s name], I’m excited to announce the successful completion of Project Delta. The attached report provides a comprehensive overview of our journey, outlining our achievements, obstacles overcome, and the final results. Your feedback is essential for future endeavors. I look forward to your thoughts. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 6: Feedback or survey report 

When writing an email for such a report, the focus should be on acknowledging the effort behind gathering feedback and highlighting the key insights.

Your email should express gratitude for the participants of the survey or feedback process. Provide a précis of the main content of the report, then conclude by emphasizing the importance of this feedback for future decisions. Here is an example you can learn from:

Subject line: Customer Feedback Report – July 2023

Hello Team, We’ve successfully collated the feedback from our customers in July. The insights we’ve derived from this process are integral to understanding our product’s market performance and pinpointing areas for enhancement.  I encourage everyone to thoroughly review the attached report and be prepared to integrate these insights into our future strategies. Best wishes, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 7: Initial draft report for review 

Generally, your goal here is to request feedback. So, you want to set clear expectations about the response timeline and the areas requiring specific attention. Here is an example for this: 

Subject line: Initial Draft: Marketing Strategy 2023 for Review

Dear [recipient’s name], I’m sharing the initial draft of our Marketing Strategy for 2023. Your expertise and feedback will be crucial in refining this document. Kindly review and share your comments by the end of the week. Thank you, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 8: Confidential or sensitive report 

Confidential reports demand discretion due to the sensitive nature of their content. Your email should state the confidential nature of the report prominently. 

Mention the reasons for the report’s confidential status and the consequences of unauthorized sharing. Reiterate the importance of discretion in handling the report. Here is an example:

Subject line: CONFIDENTIAL: Executive Compensation Report 2023

Dear [recipient’s name], I’m entrusting you with the Executive Compensation Report for 2023. Due to the proprietary data and personal information contained within, this document has been classified as confidential.  It is imperative that it remains within our circle and is not disseminated without explicit approval. Your understanding and discretion are paramount and much appreciated. Best regards, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 9: Updated version of a previous report 

Circumstances change, and occasionally, reports need updating. When writing an updated report, clarity regarding the nature and reasons for the updates is essential.

In your email, reference the original report and its date of issuance. Describe the reasons prompting an update, specifying the sections or data points that have been revised. Request a review of the updated sections and encourage feedback. Here is a sample you can use:

Subject line: UPDATED: Sales Forecast Report – Q4 2023

Hello Team, I’m sharing the updated version of our Sales Forecast for Q4. Changes have been made based on the latest market trends and feedback from the sales team. Please review the revised projections and strategies in this version. Best, [your name] [your signature]

Report email sample 10: Error correction in a previously sent report

Your report email here needs to be clear about the error’s nature, its implications, and the steps taken to rectify it. So, start by acknowledging the oversight openly. Provide information about the corrected data. End by expressing gratitude for understanding and patience.

Here is an email sample for this:

Subject line: CORRECTION: Financial Report – June 2023

Dear Stakeholders, We identified an error in our previously sent Financial Report for June. Attached is the corrected version. The discrepancies were found in the profit calculations, and we’ve rectified them in this update. Apologies for the oversight, and thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, [your name] [your signature]

Key takeaways

• Your email subject line is the first thing recipients see, and it heavily influences whether your email is opened. Always shoot for a clear and context-rich subject line. 
• The email body should provide the reader with all necessary context and expectations: what the report is about, why it matters, and what actions are expected upon review.
• If your report is an updated version or a correction of a previously sent document, be upfront about it. Clearly mention what has changed, why the update or correction was necessary, and how the recipient should approach the new document.
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