3 ways to automate accident reporting

#1 - Simple report

Who it's for: Single-site businesses where the manager logs incidents themselves and wants the accident book on a phone instead of paper.

What it is: Accident reporting is a recorded account of a workplace accident or incident. This version captures the incident as one box: date and time, person involved, location, what happened, the injury or harm, and the immediate action taken. The fields sit together so each incident reads as one record.

In practice: A chef slips on a wet floor. The duty manager opens the report, fills in the time, who fell, where, what happened, the grazed elbow, and that the floor was dried and a wet-floor sign put out. One box, a complete record, captured while it's fresh rather than reconstructed weeks later.

Why it works: The fields live in one box, so an incident is never logged as a stray note missing the time or the action taken. Capturing it at the time, while details are fresh, is what makes it reliable if it's ever questioned.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped report holding: date and time, person involved, location, what happened, injury or harm, immediate action taken

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Businesses where any staff member, not just a trained manager, might be the one to log an incident.

What it is: The simple report with a guidance note in the box: record what happened factually, not who was at fault, and note that some injuries are reportable to the HSE under RIDDOR (for example a specified injury, or more than seven days off work), so if in doubt, check.

What it adds to the simple report:

1. Staff record facts, not blame, which keeps the report usable
2. The RIDDOR prompt means reportable injuries get flagged, not missed
3. Reports read consistently whoever logs them

Why it works: The guidance sits in the box with the fields, so whoever logs the incident reads how to do it as they go. It turns an accident book anyone can fill in badly into one anyone can fill in right.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped report (date, person, location, what happened, injury, action)
• 1 guidance note (record facts not blame; RIDDOR)

#3 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Businesses that want proof of the scene, whether to support an insurance claim or defend against one.

What it is: The simple report plus a photo of the scene or injury, captured in the box. A written account can be disputed; a photo of the wet floor, the broken step, or the injury at the time is evidence that holds up.

In practice: A customer trips on a loose mat and later claims for an injury. The report logged at the time, with a photo showing the mat and the area, is what lets the insurer assess the claim on facts rather than two conflicting accounts months later.

What it adds to the simple report:

1. A photo of the scene or injury, captured at the time
2. Evidence that supports or defends an insurance claim
3. A record that doesn't rely on memory weeks later

Why it works: Evidence taken in the moment is far stronger than a recollection. For accidents that turn into claims, the photo taken on the day is often the deciding record.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped report (date, person, location, what happened, injury, action)
• 1 photo of the scene or injury

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the same six-field report; the additions change who can log it and what it proves.

Is it always you logging incidents, or might other staff?

If you log them yourself and know what to record, the plain report is enough: #1. The moment any staff member might log an incident, the guidance needs to be on the screen so they know what to record and when it's RIDDOR-reportable: #2.

Do you need proof, or is a written account enough?

A written account tells you what was reported. A photo is something you can put in front of an insurer or the HSE. If an account is enough, #1 or #2 will do. If incidents could turn into claims, #3 adds a photo of the scene or injury.

Need both, guidance for whoever logs it and photo evidence? Open whichever matters most in the playground and add the other's step. That is how the product works anyway: every version here is the same report with one addition.

Related workflows

• Workplace safety walk - the proactive check that prevents the accident
• First aid training - making sure staff can respond when one happens

Conclusion

An accident you can't evidence is one you can't defend, and the record made at the time is the one that holds up. The versions above move from a simple report to one with photo evidence, whichever your business and insurer need.

→ Build your own accident reporting workflow on Pilla.