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How to write an incident report

A cook burned an arm, a guest slipped by the bar, a room attendant cut a finger on glass. Here's what an incident report needs, a filled-in example, what changes when a guest is hurt, and the mistakes that come back later.

For restaurant, café & hotel managers · 6 min read

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What an incident report is

A written record of an accident or injury at work, made the same day: what happened, who was hurt, who saw it, and what care was given. It's what your insurer and your workers' comp carrier will ask for, and at a hotel that keeps an OSHA 300 log, it feeds that log.

Write it the same day. Memories change by the next shift, and so do stories.

What to include

  1. 1Who was hurt.Employee or guest. Name, and position or room / table.
  2. 2When & where.Date, time and the exact spot: walk-in, fry station, lobby, room 214.
  3. 3What happened.Facts, in order. No blame.
  4. 4Injury.Body part and type: cut, burn, slip or fall.
  5. 5Care given.First aid on site, clinic, ER or ambulance.
  6. 6Witnesses.Names, and what they saw in their own words.
  7. 7Cause.What you saw: wet floor, broken step, no cut glove.
  8. 8Fix.What you did right away: sign out, floor mopped, slicer tagged.
  9. 9Work status.For employees: missed shifts or light duty.

Example incident report

Incident report · Employee injury

EXAMPLE · NOT A REAL EMPLOYEE

Injured:
Luis G., Line Cook
When:
Friday, Oct 16, 8:15 PM · Kitchen, fry station
What happened:
Luis reached across the fryer to grab a ticket; hot oil splashed his right forearm.
Injury:
Burn, right forearm
Care:
Cooled under running water and dressed from the first aid kit. Seen at urgent care at 9:30 PM.
Witness:
Maria R., Line Cook: "He leaned over the fryer to get the ticket."
Cause:
The ticket rail hangs behind the fryer.
Fix:
Ticket rail moved to the pass the same night.
Work status:
Back next shift, no restrictions.
Manager
Employee
Witness

Guest version, same structure: "Guest, room 214. Slipped on the wet lobby floor at 7:10 AM; no wet-floor sign was out. Offered first aid, declined an ambulance. Manager took photos of the spot."

Employee or guest?

  1. 1Employee hurt.Report it to your workers' comp carrier. At a hotel, check if it goes on the OSHA 300 log.
  2. 2Guest hurt.Facts only. Don't admit fault or promise to pay in writing. Tell your insurer.
  3. 3Nobody hurt.That's a near miss. Still worth writing down.

In very cool report you speak what happened first. Then the app asks "Who was injured?" and builds the right report: an employee injury report or a guest (premises liability) report.

Mistakes that come back later

  • Writing it days later, from memory.
  • Blame or guesses ("he was careless").
  • Admitting fault to a guest in writing.
  • No witness names.
  • No photos of the spot.
  • Not saying what you fixed.

Report it before the shift ends

Speak what happened on your phone. The app asks who was hurt, the injury, the care given and the witnesses, then seals the report. At a hotel that keeps an OSHA log, an employee injury also opens the OSHA case.

Try it — restaurantTry it — hotel

Questions managers ask

A written record of an accident, injury or unsafe event at work, made as soon as possible after it happens.

Not legal advice. Laws vary by state.