What is the Difference Between Accident and Incident Reporting?

Accident reporting involves documenting events that result in injury or damage, while incident reporting includes a broader range of events, such as near misses. The key difference is that accidents often lead to more profound outcomes, whereas incidents focus on identifying and preventing any further risk.

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We all like to imagine that accidents or incidents will never occur in your workplace, but they are often inevitable in any workplace. Cut fingers, slips and trips, or more serious accidents are common occurrence in the workplace. Regardless of the situation, you as the employer must do everything in your power to document, investigate, and attempt to prevent accidents from occurring as much as possible.

So, what is the difference between an accident and incident? The difference between the two might seem confusing and difficult to differentiate, but both require understanding in their own respect, so you can understand how to action them.

Get in touch with Croner Health and Safety consultants today to get expert, professional advice on accident and incident reporting, and ensure your business is compliant with the latest health and safety regulations.

• What is an incident in the workplace
• The difference between accident and incident
• What is the purpose of an incident report?

What is an incident in the workplace?

An incident in the workplace is defined by an unplanned event that doesn’t result in injury, but causes damage to property, or has enough significant risk to merit recording in an accident book.

For example, an oil spill in a kitchen would be a recordable incident, even if the oil injures no one and staff manages to clean the oil without damaging the area, due to it posing a significant risk of slips and trips, or even a fire hazard.  

You can categorise an incident under two sub-categories:

• Near miss (which is an internal recordable incident and should be investigated and recorded).
• Dangerous occurrence which is reportable under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) and should be reported within 10 days.

What is the difference between an accident and an incident?

The two terms of accident and incident often confuse people due to the fact they are extensively used interchangeably.

The main difference between ‘accident’ and ‘incident’ is that the former results in personal injury or property damage, while the latter does not.

The difference between accident and incident

If an incident is a ‘near miss’, it is an event that does not result in harm but has the potential to cause it. Incidents that result in a ‘dangerous occurrence’, is a set of circumstances (rather than a specific event) that could potentially cause injury or ill health and meets the required criteria for reporting under RIDDOR.

• An accident is a specific event that results in the injury, death, or ill health of an employee or a member of the public.
• Accidents will typically require some form of immediate medical treatment and have profound consequences to workplace health and safety, requiring investigation and sometimes resulting in legal action.

Why should all incidents in the workplace be reported?

The first and most important reason is to ensure that an incident does not become an accident. Accident and incident reporting procedures can vary depending on your process but reporting them within accident books is advised to prevent them from happening in the future.

It’s important to remember when reporting accidents and incidents at work that there is no such thing as an unimportant injury or accident. For example, the smallest leakage can end in a workplace-wide flood, or a faulty cable could result in a fire in the workplace.

What is the purpose of an incident report?

The main purpose of these reports is to prevent any type of incident from occurring again in the future or worsening, resulting in an accident. A near miss can negatively impact the workflow of your business, so it’s important to carry out comprehensive risk assessments.

Internally reporting an incident creates awareness of the issues, and prevents them from happening in the future, thus reducing the amount of disruption in your workplace.

In the event of a serious accident, you or a competent person should notify the HSE without delay by contacting them online or via phone.

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