An initial incident account: facts, times and attributed statements
The draft report says a worker was careless and slipped on ice. You did not witness the fall, and nobody has checked the conditions before it happened. That sentence starts with a conclusion where the record needs a sequence.
For your initial incident account, record the sequence, times, location, observations, reported words and notifications before assigning a cause. Follow the emergency, scene and reporting process first; paperwork must not delay it. The designated investigation can then assess causes and recommendations, clearly identifying the evidence behind its conclusions. A facts-first account is not a ban on subsequent analysis.
Keep the evidence types separate
- Identify the account. State the job, incident location, date, event time and your writing time. Identify your role and whether you witnessed the event or arrived later. Use the approved form and include required information, marking unknown fields rather than inventing answers to complete them.
- Write the sequence. Describe what you personally saw in plain past-tense sentences. Record times accurately, identifying estimates. Attribute a witness's account and preserve their own words where accurately recorded. Keep a summary distinct from a direct quotation and note conflicting accounts without choosing a convenient version.
- Record response and conditions. Document the care and actions reported by the appropriate people, who was notified and when, and the equipment or conditions observed. Include only necessary personal information through approved access arrangements. Capture records only within the authorized, safe scene process; do not disturb evidence for a photograph.
- Sign, preserve and supplement. Attach identified photographs and document references, then sign and date your account. State uncertainties and outstanding information. Add later corrections with their own date and source, retaining the earlier version. Send the account to the designated person rather than circulating it as an informal crew discussion.
CCOHS incident-investigation guidance distinguishes data gathering from analysis, calls for facts, witness accounts and assumptions to be identified, and directs investigators to applicable jurisdictional requirements. Use the actual investigation plan and competent assigned people. Do not replace their findings with 'carelessness', or promise that a neutral-sounding first report satisfies every regulatory report or deadline.
Common mistakes
- Presenting something you were told as something you saw.
- Starting with blame instead of the sequence and evidence.
- Delaying immediate response or required reporting until the narrative is polished.
Checklist
Check the initial account
- Role, event time and writing time identified.
- Observed facts and attributed statements separated.
- Response and notifications recorded accurately.
- Uncertainties and supporting references visible.
- Signed version and dated supplements preserved.
Check your understanding
Must the final investigation avoid all conclusions about causes?
