Reporting a Hazard or Incident
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Goal Report a hazard or incident clearly, in speech and in writing.
SPEAKING UP
- I need to report a hazard.
- There's oil on the floor near bay two -- someone could slip.
- I'm not comfortable doing this. Can someone check it first?
Saying "stop" when something is unsafe is your right.
WRITING AN INCIDENT REPORT answer the 5 Ws + H
- Who was involved? - What happened? - When? - Where?
- Why (if known)? - How was it handled?
Write facts, not opinions. Use the past simple.
EXAMPLE
On Tuesday 3 June at about 2:15 pm, I was walking past bay two in the workshop.
I slipped on a patch of oil near the hoist but did not fall. There was no warning
sign. I put a cone over the oil and told the supervisor, Mark. He arranged for the
area to be cleaned. No one was injured.
FACT vs OPINION
- Opinion: "Someone was lazy and left a mess."
- Fact: "There was oil on the floor and no warning sign."
PRACTICE
Write a short report: this morning in the car park you saw a reversing truck nearly
hit a pedestrian. The truck's reversing beeper was not working.
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