What an Event Incident Report Is For
An incident report is the written record of something that went wrong at your event: an injury, an illness, damage to the venue or someone's property, a security problem, a lost child or a serious complaint. It is written by the person who dealt with it, while their memory is fresh, and it gives your team, your insurer and the venue one accurate account to work from.
- Insurance: insurers usually ask for prompt notice and a factual account before they will look at a claim
- The venue: most venue contracts ask organizers to report incidents on their premises, and many venues have their own form too
- Follow-up: someone has to call the injured person, replace the broken table or answer the complaint, and the report says who
- Next year: a pile of reports shows patterns, such as the same step causing trips, that should change the site plan
Incidents to Report at Events
Use one form for every type, with a section of extra questions for each. A single form is easier to train on and easier to file. Report near misses too: a fall that almost happened today is the injury you can prevent tomorrow.
| Type | Examples | Extra details to record |
|---|---|---|
| Injury or illness | Trip or fall, cut, burn, allergic reaction, fainting, heat illness | Nature of injury as observed, first aid given and by whom, whether the person was taken to hospital or declined treatment |
| Property damage | Damaged venue walls or floors, broken rental furniture, damaged exhibitor goods, vehicle damage in parking | Owner of the property, description and extent of damage, photos taken, whether it is safe to use |
| Security | Theft, unauthorized access, aggressive behavior, harassment, suspicious item | Description of people involved, time security or police were called, report or reference number |
| Lost child or person | Child separated from guardian, vulnerable adult missing | Description given, time reported, time found, where found, who they were released to and how identity was checked |
| Complaint | Discrimination, harassment, accessibility barrier, serious service failure | The complaint in the person's own words, what they asked for, what was offered |
| Near miss | Falling item that hit no one, crowd surge that eased, blocked exit found on a walk | What could have happened, what was changed straight away |
Lost child and lost person procedures belong in your event safety plan; the report records how one was handled. Crowding incidents and near misses feed back into crowd management for the rest of the event.
What to Record on Every Report
- Event name, date, and the time the incident happened and the time it was reported
- Exact location, using the room, booth or area names on your floor plan, plus a sketch or marked map if it helps
- Incident type, and whether it is a near miss
- Name and contact details of the person affected, or a description if they declined to give them
- Names and contact details of witnesses, and whether each saw it happen or arrived after
- What happened, in order, in the reporter's own words
- Injuries or damage observed, described, not diagnosed
- Action taken, by whom and when, including first aid, security, emergency services and the venue
- Photos taken and where they are stored
- Follow-up needed and the person who owns it
- Name, role, signature and date of the person completing the report
Write facts, not conclusions. 'Guest said she tripped on the cable cover at the entrance to Hall B; I saw her sitting on the floor holding her left ankle' is useful. 'Guest fell because the cable cover was badly placed' is an opinion about cause, and it does not belong on the form. Don't speculate, don't assign blame and don't promise compensation. If you didn't see something, write who told you.
Who Completes the Report and When
- 1
Respond First
Deal with the situation first. Call first aid or emergency services, make the area safe and follow your safety plan. The form waits until people are safe.
- 2
The Responder Completes It
The staff member or volunteer who responded, or who saw it happen, writes the report. If several people were involved, the first responder writes it and the others add short statements.
- 3
Complete It the Same Day
Complete it the same day, ideally within the hour, and before the end of the shift. Accounts written days later are less accurate and less useful to an insurer.
- 4
Collect Witness Details at the Scene
Witness names and contact details are hard to find after the event. Ask for them at the scene, even if the witness doesn't want to write a statement.
- 5
The Safety Lead Reviews It
The event safety lead, or the event lead on smaller events, reads every report, asks questions while people are still on site, adds a reference number and logs it in the incident log.
Brief every staff member and volunteer on where the forms are and who to hand them to, as part of the morning briefing on your day-of event checklist. Keep blank forms and pens in the emergency kit and at the first aid point.
Copy-Ready Event Incident Report Form
Print this form or rebuild it in a form tool your organization controls. Keep it to two pages so it actually gets filled in.
EVENT INCIDENT REPORT FORM Reference number (office use): [NUMBER] SECTION 1: EVENT AND INCIDENT Event name: [EVENT NAME] Venue: [VENUE] Date of incident: [DATE] Time of incident: [TIME] Time reported: [TIME] Exact location (room, booth, area): [LOCATION] Incident type (tick all that apply): [ ] Injury or illness [ ] Property damage [ ] Security [ ] Lost child or person [ ] Complaint [ ] Near miss [ ] Other: [DESCRIBE] SECTION 2: PEOPLE INVOLVED Person affected: [NAME] Role: [ ] Attendee [ ] Exhibitor or vendor [ ] Staff [ ] Volunteer [ ] Contractor [ ] Other Phone: [PHONE] Email: [EMAIL] Age, if a minor: [AGE] Parent or guardian: [NAME, PHONE] Witness 1: [NAME, PHONE, EMAIL] Saw it happen? [YES OR NO] Witness 2: [NAME, PHONE, EMAIL] Saw it happen? [YES OR NO] SECTION 3: WHAT HAPPENED Describe what happened, in order, using only what you saw, heard and did. Write what others told you in their own words and say who told you. [DESCRIPTION] SECTION 4: INJURY OR DAMAGE Injury or symptoms observed (describe, do not diagnose): [DESCRIPTION] First aid given: [YES OR NO] By: [NAME] Treatment: [DESCRIPTION] Emergency services called: [YES OR NO] Time called: [TIME] Service: [AMBULANCE, POLICE, FIRE] Taken to hospital: [YES OR NO] Declined treatment: [YES OR NO] Property damaged: [ITEM] Owner: [NAME OR COMPANY] Extent: [DESCRIPTION] SECTION 5: SECURITY OR LOST PERSON Description of people involved: [DESCRIPTION] Police report or reference number: [NUMBER] Lost person: time reported [TIME], time found [TIME], where found [LOCATION] Released to: [NAME] Identity checked by: [METHOD] SECTION 6: ACTION TAKEN Immediate action and by whom: [DESCRIPTION] Area made safe or closed: [YES OR NO, DETAILS] Venue informed: [NAME, TIME] Photos taken: [YES OR NO] Stored at: [LOCATION] SECTION 7: COMPLETED BY Name: [NAME] Role: [ROLE] Phone: [PHONE] Signature: [SIGNATURE] Date and time: [DATE, TIME] SECTION 8: REVIEW (SAFETY LEAD) Reviewed by: [NAME] Date: [DATE] Follow-up actions and owner: [ACTIONS, NAME, DUE DATE] Insurer notified: [YES OR NO, DATE, CLAIM REFERENCE] Closed: [DATE]
Incident Log Template
The incident log is a one-line-per-incident summary the safety lead or control desk keeps through the day. It doesn't replace the full form; it makes sure nothing is lost between shifts and gives the event lead a quick view at the end of each day.
EVENT INCIDENT LOG: [EVENT NAME], [DATE] Kept by: [NAME] Ref | Time | Location | Type | Brief description | Reported by | Action taken | Form complete? | Follow-up owner [001] | [TIME] | [LOCATION] | [TYPE] | [ONE LINE] | [NAME] | [ONE LINE] | [YES OR NO] | [NAME] [002] | [TIME] | [LOCATION] | [TYPE] | [ONE LINE] | [NAME] | [ONE LINE] | [YES OR NO] | [NAME] [003] | [TIME] | [LOCATION] | [TYPE] | [ONE LINE] | [NAME] | [ONE LINE] | [YES OR NO] | [NAME] End of day review Total incidents: [NUMBER] Open follow-ups: [NUMBER] Changes for tomorrow: [LIST] Reviewed by: [NAME, TIME]
Follow-Up After an Incident
- 1
Notify Your Insurer
Read your policy's notice conditions before the event, and notify your insurer or broker within the time it requires when an incident could lead to a claim. Our event insurance page explains the cover organizers usually carry.
- 2
Tell the Venue and Other Parties
If an exhibitor, vendor or contractor was involved, ask for their insurer's details and check their vendor certificate of insurance. Share the venue's copy of the report with the venue as your contract requires.
- 3
Preserve Evidence
Keep photos, the original form, witness statements and any damaged item that can be kept. Ask the venue promptly about security camera footage, since many systems overwrite it after a short period.
- 4
Follow Up With the Person Affected
Contact the person affected after the event to check on them and to answer their questions. Be kind and factual, and don't admit fault or offer payment; route those questions to your insurer or adviser.
- 5
Fix the Cause and Close It Out
Fix the cause where you can, record what you changed, and close the report with a date. Add recurring causes to next year's risk assessment.
Mistakes to Avoid
- No forms on site: the forms live in the office and nobody fills one in until Monday
- Waiting until after the event to write reports, when witnesses have gone home
- Opinions about fault on the form, or apologies that read as admissions
- Vague locations such as 'near the entrance' instead of the named area on the floor plan
- Skipping near misses because nobody was hurt
- Leaving completed forms where anyone can read them
- No one owning follow-up, so the injured guest never gets a call
For more on keeping the rest of the day on track when something goes wrong, read how to keep events running smoothly when things go wrong. If attendees or vendors signed an event liability waiver, keep a copy with the incident file, but don't assume it settles anything; that is a question for your adviser.
