On a busy site, it's tempting to deal with a near miss in the moment and move on. But the events that didn't quite cause harm are often the clearest warning of the ones that eventually will. A simple, consistent reporting habit gives small teams a much better picture of what's actually happening.
What is a near miss?
A near miss is an unplanned event that could have resulted in injury, ill health or damage — but didn't. A dropped tool that lands in an empty area, a slip that doesn't end in a fall, a load that swings further than expected. No one was hurt, but the conditions for harm were there.
Capturing those events alongside actual incidents gives you a much fuller view of risk on site than only logging what caused injury. Where someone was actually injured, use the accident report form for UK workplaces to record the facts, injury and immediate actions.
Why is near-miss reporting important?
For a small team, near-miss records are the cheapest safety information you will ever collect. Recorded consistently, they let you:
- Spot the same hazard appearing repeatedly on a site or across jobs
- Take corrective action before the same sequence injures someone
- Keep a record of what was changed, and when
- Feed real site events back into your risk assessments and toolbox talks
How to write an incident report
Record the facts while they are still fresh. A useful incident report should make it easy for someone who was not there to understand what happened, what action was taken and what still needs follow-up.
Incident report template: what to include
This is a practical on-page checklist you can mirror in whatever system you already use. A useful incident or near-miss record typically includes:
- Date, time and exact location on site
- Who was involved and who witnessed it
- A factual description of what happened
- Any injuries, damage or environmental impact
- Immediate actions taken
- Photo attachments showing the area, equipment or damage
- Contributing factors (conditions, equipment, sequence of work)
- Follow-up actions and who owns them
A short worked example
A sheet of plasterboard slipped while being carried through a first-floor opening and struck a temporary barrier. Nobody was injured.
- What happened: At 10:15 on 4 June, two operatives were carrying a sheet of plasterboard through the first-floor opening. The sheet slipped and struck the temporary edge barrier, which moved but stayed in place.
- Immediate action: Work stopped, the barrier was re-secured and checked by the site supervisor before work restarted.
- Contributing factor: The opening was narrower than the sheet width and the floor surface was wet from earlier rain.
- Follow-up action: Materials to be lifted to the first floor by telehandler instead of carried through the opening. Owner: site supervisor. Due: 5 June.
Note what the example does not do: it does not guess who was at fault or speculate about what "would have" happened. Record known facts and let the follow-up actions do the work.
Why factual, timely records matter
Memory fades quickly on site. Details that feel obvious on the day are harder to reconstruct a week later, and much harder a month later. Recording events on the day they happen — with names, times and a plain description of what occurred — keeps the record useful for follow-up, insurance queries and internal reviews.
Stick to facts rather than blame. A clear timeline is far more useful than an opinion on who was at fault.
When is an accident book required?
HSE currently states that businesses with more than ten employees must keep an accident book under social security law, and that the relevant details can be recorded in the organisation's own record system rather than a specific printed book.
Keeping incident records and reporting under RIDDOR are related but separate requirements. Recording an event internally does not mean it has been reported to the enforcing authority, and not every recorded event needs to be.
Digital incident records can help teams keep information organised and accessible. Businesses remain responsible for ensuring their own record-keeping arrangements meet the requirements that apply to them — check the current HSE guidance on accident books and record keeping if you are unsure.
Is a near miss reportable under RIDDOR?
Not every near miss is reportable under RIDDOR. Most everyday near misses should be recorded internally and acted on, but do not need to be reported to the enforcing authority.
However, certain defined dangerous occurrences are reportable even where nobody was injured. Whether an event falls into that category depends on the circumstances and the current RIDDOR rules, so check official HSE guidance on reportable incidents where you are unsure.
Read our RIDDOR guide for UK trades for a fuller explanation of what RIDDOR covers, who is responsible for reporting and how dangerous occurrences differ from general near misses.
Working alone? Review the lone-working risks and emergency arrangements before the job starts — see our lone working risk assessment template.
Keep records in one place
For small teams especially, the hardest part isn't writing a report — it's finding it again six months later. Paper notebooks get lost. Photos sit on someone's phone. WhatsApp threads scroll out of view. A single, searchable record per site means you can pull up what happened, when, and what was done about it.
Toolbox talks can also help teams discuss recent incidents, near misses and site-specific risks before work starts.
How Graftly helps
Graftly lets site teams log incidents and near misses from their phone while details are fresh, attach photos, and keep an ongoing incident log per site. Records are stored alongside the rest of your site documentation — RAMS, toolbox talks, visitor logs and sign-offs — so small teams have one place to check what happened, what was recorded and what still needs follow-up.
Graftly does not decide whether an event is reportable under RIDDOR and does not replace official HSE reporting. It helps you keep the underlying record clear and to hand.
You can see what Graftly can do on the homepage, read common questions in the FAQ, or get in touch with us if you'd like to talk it through.
Record an incident or near miss in Graftly
Log what happened from site, attach photos and keep the follow-up actions with the rest of your site records.
Official guidance
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Reporting duties depend on the facts of each event and the relevant enforcing authority. Refer to current HSE guidance and competent professional advice where needed.