Use the accident report form below as a practical starting point for recording workplace incidents across trades, maintenance, facilities, service businesses and other UK workplaces.
Not every accident is reportable under RIDDOR. The guide below explains the difference between recording an accident internally and making a statutory report.
At a glance
- Blank workplace accident report form
- Covers injuries, location and what happened
- Records immediate action and first aid
- Includes investigation and follow-up fields
- Explains accident books and RIDDOR
Keep the record factual. Record what is known, separate facts from assumptions and update the record as further information becomes available.
Accident report form
Use the fields below as a blank workplace accident or incident report form. Adapt the record to your organisation and the event that actually occurred.
This is a Graftly template. It is not the official HSE Accident Book and it is not a RIDDOR reporting form.
1. Incident details
- Date of accident
- Time
- Location
- Site / workplace / job reference
- Type of incident
2. Person involved
- Name
- Role / occupation
- Employer or contractor
- Contact details where appropriate
Avoid collecting unnecessary sensitive personal information.
3. Injury or harm
- Injury or health effect
- Part of body affected
- Apparent severity
- First aid provided
- First aid provided by
- Further medical treatment, where known
- What happened immediately afterwards (returned to work / went home / hospital / other)
4. What happened
- Task being carried out
- Description of the accident
- Equipment, substances or vehicles involved
- Environmental or site conditions
- Known immediate circumstances
Use factual language. Record what is known rather than conclusions about blame.
5. Witnesses
- Witness name(s)
- Contact details where appropriate
- Brief factual account or reference to a statement
6. Immediate actions
- Work stopped or area made safe
- First aid or emergency response
- Equipment isolated or removed from use
- Supervisor or manager informed
- Other immediate actions
7. Reporting and escalation
- Responsible person notified
- Client or site management notified where applicable
- RIDDOR applicability checked
- RIDDOR report reference or date where applicable
- Insurer or other required party notified where applicable
Not every accident requires every notification. Complete only what applies.
8. Investigation and follow-up
- Further information gathered
- Immediate causes identified
- Underlying factors identified
- Corrective actions
- Action owner
- Due date
- Completion date
9. Document review
- Risk assessment reviewed
- Method statement / RAMS reviewed
- COSHH assessment reviewed where relevant
- Training or briefing updated
- Other procedures or controls updated
10. Record details
- Recorded by
- Date recorded
- Reviewed by
- Review or closure date
Prefer to record it digitally?
Graftly helps you keep incidents, actions and related site documents organised against the right job, so the record does not disappear into an email thread, spreadsheet or WhatsApp message.
What should you do after an accident at work?
- Deal with immediate danger and injury. Make the situation safe where possible and arrange appropriate first aid or emergency assistance before anything else.
- Record what happened. Capture the basic facts while details are fresh: who was involved, when and where it happened, what work was taking place, what injury occurred and what immediate action was taken.
- Check internal reporting requirements. Follow the organisation's own accident, incident and escalation arrangements, including who needs to be told and how quickly.
- Check whether RIDDOR applies. Only specified work-related injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences are reportable under RIDDOR. The criteria depend on the circumstances, so check current HSE guidance rather than relying on a single simplified rule.
- Investigate proportionately. The aim is to understand what happened and why, not to assign blame. HSE's investigation guidance broadly follows gathering information, analysing it, identifying risk-control improvements and creating and implementing an action plan.
- Update the controls. Where the investigation shows a weakness, review the relevant risk assessment, method statement, RAMS, COSHH assessment, training or working arrangements.
- Communicate what changed. Brief the people affected, confirm the actions taken and record that the briefing happened.
For the statutory reporting criteria, check the official HSE RIDDOR guidance on reportable incidents, and see HSE's guidance on investigating accidents and incidents (HSG245) for the investigation sequence.
Is an accident report form the same as an Accident Book?
No. An accident report form is the individual record of one incident. An Accident Book is the system or collection used to keep those records together over time.
HSE guidance states that organisations with more than ten employees must keep an accident book under social security law, and that the relevant details can be recorded in HSE's Accident Book or in the organisation's own record system. See the HSE guidance on accident books and recording incidents for the current position.
Accident records contain personal information and should be stored securely and confidentially, with access limited to those who need it.
Does every accident at work need to be reported to HSE?
No. Businesses may record many accidents internally without any statutory report being required. RIDDOR requires specified injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences to be reported by the responsible person — typically the employer, the self-employed person or someone in control of work premises.
Completing an internal accident form is a separate activity from making a RIDDOR report. One does not satisfy the other, and the Graftly template is not a RIDDOR submission.
Check the official HSE RIDDOR guidance where you are unsure, and read our RIDDOR guide for UK trades for a plain-English explanation of what RIDDOR covers and who reports.
What information should an accident report form contain?
Who
Who was involved and their role.
When and where
Date, time and exact location.
What happened
A factual account of the activity and the incident.
Injury
What injury or harm occurred and what treatment was provided.
Immediate response
What was done immediately afterwards.
Witness information
Who saw the event and where any statements are stored.
Follow-up
Investigation findings, corrective actions, owners and completion dates.
HSE's own Accident Book captures the injured person, the person completing the record, when and where the accident happened, how it happened, the injury and whether a RIDDOR report followed.
How should an accident report be written?
Keep it factual and useful to someone who was not there. In practice that means:
- Write down what is known, with dates, times and names
- Distinguish observations from conclusions
- Record relevant witness information and where statements are held
- Avoid language whose purpose is to blame an individual
- Update the findings following investigation where necessary
A clear timeline supports proper investigation and prevention. It is not the place for opinions about fault.
The accident form is the start, not the finish
The record itself does not change anything on site. What follows it does. A useful sequence looks like this:
Accident record
what happened
Investigation
why it happened
Corrective actions
what needs to change
Updated risk assessment / RAMS
how the risk will be controlled going forward
Briefing / sign-off
how the change is communicated
That is why the accident record usually leads to other paperwork: an updated risk assessment, a revised RAMS pack, or a reviewed COSHH assessment where a substance was involved.
Keep incident records and follow-up paperwork together
An accident can generate several pieces of follow-up documentation. Graftly helps small businesses and site teams keep the incident record, actions and updated safety documents organised against the relevant job, so nothing sits in one person's phone or inbox.
- Record incidents from phone, tablet or desktop
- Attach photos to the record
- Keep records organised by job or site
- Create and update risk assessments and RAMS
- PDF export for clients and principal contractors
- One place to check what was recorded and what changed
Graftly is a documentation tool. It does not submit RIDDOR reports, decide whether an event is reportable, notify insurers or carry out investigations for you.
Related site safety documents
Frequently asked questions
What is an accident report form?
A record used to capture the facts of a workplace accident, including who was involved, where and when it happened, any injury, the immediate action taken and the follow-up.
What information should I put on an accident report form?
Incident details, the person involved, the injury or harm, a factual description of what happened, witnesses, immediate actions, any reporting or escalation, investigation and follow-up actions, any documents reviewed afterwards, and who recorded and reviewed the record.
Does every workplace accident have to be reported to HSE?
No. Only incidents meeting RIDDOR reporting criteria require a statutory report. Other workplace accidents may still need to be recorded internally.
Is an accident report form the same as an Accident Book?
No. An accident report form is the individual record of one incident. An Accident Book is the system or collection used to keep those records together.
Do small businesses need an Accident Book?
HSE says businesses with more than ten employees must keep an accident book under social security law, although the details can be held in their own record system. Even where an Accident Book is not required, records must still be kept for incidents that fall within RIDDOR record-keeping requirements.
Can I keep accident records digitally?
HSE says organisations can record the relevant details in their own record system rather than a specific printed book. Accident records contain personal information, so they should be stored securely and only shared where appropriate.
Who should complete an accident report?
Someone with sufficient knowledge of the incident should create the factual record, following the organisation's own process. Where escalation or statutory reporting may be needed, make sure the responsible person sees the record promptly.
Is an accident report an admission of liability?
An accident record should be a factual account of what happened and the action taken. Questions about legal liability, compensation or insurance should be dealt with separately using appropriate professional advice.
What should happen after an accident is recorded?
Investigate proportionately to understand what happened and why, agree corrective actions with owners and dates, review the relevant risk assessment, RAMS, COSHH assessment or training, and brief the people affected.
What is the difference between an accident and a near miss?
An accident is an event that results in injury or ill health. A near miss is an event that caused no harm but had the potential to cause injury or ill health. Both are worth reviewing because near misses can expose weaknesses before someone is harmed.
Wondering where near misses fit in? See near miss and incident reporting for small site teams.
Official guidance / sources
- HSE — Reporting accidents and illness
- HSE — RIDDOR
- HSE — Accident book and recording incidents
- HSE — Investigating accidents and incidents (HSG245)
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Recording and reporting duties depend on the facts of each event and the organisation involved. Refer to current HSE guidance and competent professional advice where needed.