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Write up a site accident or near miss properly
Turn your notes and witness accounts into a clear, factual incident report with a timeline, likely causes and actions to stop it happening again.
When to use it
After any accident, near miss or damage on site
Step by step
Record facts while they're fresh
Take photos of the area, note the time, weather and who was involved, and write down what each witness says in their own words.
Ask for a structured draft
Paste your notes into your AI assistant with this prompt. Use roles, not names.
Prompt to copyHelp me write a factual incident report for a construction site. Use only these facts: [paste notes and witness accounts, with names replaced by roles such as Labourer 1]. Structure: what happened in one paragraph; timeline with times; conditions (weather, lighting, equipment, supervision); immediate actions taken; possible causes, split into immediate causes and underlying causes, marked as 'to be confirmed by investigation'; suggested actions to prevent it happening again, each with a suggested owner; questions still to answer. Keep the tone neutral and avoid blame or guesswork.Have it checked and reported properly
Give the draft to your safety adviser or competent person, and follow your company procedure and your country's legal reporting rules (such as RIDDOR in the UK) for anything reportable. This draft is not a substitute for that.
Follow up the actions
Add the agreed actions to your site action list with owners and dates, and brief the team at the next toolbox talk.
What you get
Timeline: 10:42 Labourer 1 stepped onto unsecured board at scaffold lift 2; board tipped, no fall. 10:45 area closed. Possible causes (to be confirmed): board not tied after alteration; no handover check. Actions: scaffold inspection after any change (owner: Scaffold supervisor).
Tips
- Never paste names, injury details or medical information into an AI assistant; keep those in your official records only.
- Write down what people said, not what you think they meant.