Accident report form template: capture facts, action and follow-up

Direct answer. A workplace accident report form should record what happened, when and where, who was involved, the injury or harm known at the time, immediate care and controls, who was told, and what happens next. Use the form below as an internal record. It does not submit a RIDDOR report. The responsible person must separately decide whether the event is reportable and, if it is, use the official HSE reporting route. HSE says employers with more than 10 employees must keep an accident book under social security law, although they can use their own record system. HSE also specifies records to retain for reportable injuries, over-seven-day injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences. HSE accident and illness basics; HSE RIDDOR recordkeeping.

The form works best when the person closest to the event can record a short factual account promptly, followed by a supervisor's separate review. Do not delay first aid, emergency response or making the area safe merely to complete a form.

Copyable accident report form

Use a unique reference so later RIDDOR reports, investigation records, insurance correspondence and corrective actions can be connected without copying sensitive details into every file.

A. Event identity

B. People and immediate care

Restrict access to health details. The ICO's worker-health guidance explains that identifiable injury information can be special-category personal data. Record enough to meet the reporting and safety purpose, store it securely and avoid circulating the full form in a general team chat.

C. Factual account

What work was being done immediately before the event? [Task, equipment, material and people involved.]

What happened in sequence? [Time-ordered observations. Separate what the reporter saw from what another person later said.]

Conditions at the scene: [Lighting, access, weather, plant, guarding, surfaces, traffic, chemical or other relevant facts.]

Evidence preserved: [Photos, CCTV reference, equipment ID, permit, RAMS/version, witness statements; record who secured it.]

Facts still unknown: [Questions and person assigned to establish them.]

Avoid writing “worker was careless” as the factual account. It is a conclusion, and it can hide a failed guard, unrealistic work sequence or missing supervision. A short, accurate first report is more valuable than a long story written to defend a position. Keep later findings in the investigation section and date any correction to the initial account rather than silently overwriting it.

D. Immediate response and escalation

Immediate controls may be temporary. Record what must happen before the work or equipment can restart and who is authorised to make that decision. If an investigation or regulator direction requires a scene to be preserved, follow that instruction; the form is not a substitute for a site-specific preservation decision.

E. RIDDOR decision — separate from this internal form

• Responsible person for the legal decision: [Name/role]
• HSE criteria checked: [Fatality, specified injury, over-seven-day incapacity, relevant non-worker hospital treatment, occupational disease or dangerous occurrence as applicable]
• Official source/version checked: [Link/date]
• Decision: [Reportable / not reportable / awaiting facts; reason]
• If reportable: [Official HSE submission date/time, method and reference number]
• If awaiting facts: [Who will recheck, by when, and what missing fact matters]

The HSE reporting guide explains who must report and provides the official route. HSE's types of reportable incidents page distinguishes worker and non-worker cases. Do not treat every hospital visit, every three-day absence or every near miss as automatically reportable. The legal decision depends on the exact event, work connection and category. If an over-seven-day case emerges later, record the new fact and check the applicable time limit on HSE's when-to-report page.

F. Investigation and corrective actions

Investigate beyond immediate behaviour. Was the task designed safely? Were plant and materials suitable? Did the risk assessment describe the actual work? Did the person have information, time and supervision? Were other employers' activities coordinated? Record both immediate and underlying factors supported by evidence. Where a control is revised, consult affected people, update the relevant procedure/RAMS and check it in use. HSE's incident-investigation workbook gives a structured approach.

G. Close-out and record handling

HSE says required RIDDOR records must contain enough information to identify the event, people, description and reporting details if a copy of the online report is not kept. Do not infer a universal retention period for every accident form from that statement; check the precise statutory, insurance and employment requirements for the record in question. HSE RIDDOR records.

A short worked example

A warehouse employee slips near an unloading bay and reports a sprained ankle. The immediate report records the time, the exact bay, the wet surface, first aid, the employee's account and the supervisor's photos. The supervisor closes the bay and arranges cleaning, then investigates why water accumulated and whether the drainage, inspection routine or delivery process needs changing. The RIDDOR decision is not made solely from the word “sprain”. The responsible person checks the exact HSE category and the employee's later ability to do normal duties; if facts change, the decision is revisited and the record linked to any official submission.

The example illustrates why one form needs two time horizons: immediate facts and later learning. Avoid asking the first reporter to diagnose the injury or prove the root cause before the scene is made safe.

The designated Complys incident-reporting software page is the relevant next step for organisations that want one place to organise reports and actions. Before publication, verify its actual current workflows; do not claim Complys files a RIDDOR notification, makes the legal reportability decision or securely processes health information in a particular way without implementation evidence. The separate HSE reporting route remains the authority.

Source and claim register — checked 5 October 2026