An educational library of workplace documents — purpose, who completes them, when they are used, typical fields, common mistakes and how they connect. Linked to workplace safety, workplace training, occupations, industries and employment documents. Informational only — template examples, not legal advice or official documents; employers remain responsible and using a document does not guarantee compliance.
What a dangerous occurrence report is
A dangerous occurrence report captures a serious, often specified type of event with high potential for harm — for example the failure of lifting equipment, a collapse, an explosion or an uncontrolled release. The defining feature is the severity of what could have happened.
This is an educational overview with a simplified example. It is not an official template, and it does not determine what counts as a reportable dangerous occurrence — that is defined by rules that vary by country.
Purpose
- Record serious high-potential events even when no one was hurt.
- Trigger urgent investigation and containment.
- Support any legally required external reporting.
- Capture lessons that prevent a future catastrophe.
Who completes it
- A supervisor, manager or safety lead, with input from those present.
- Technical or engineering input may be needed for equipment failures.
- The employer decides the internal process and who is responsible.
- External reporting, where required, is the employer’s duty.
When it is used
- Immediately after a serious high-potential event occurs.
- When a specified type of occurrence happens, whether or not anyone is hurt.
- When equipment fails in a way that could have caused serious harm.
- Before the scene is disturbed, where it is safe to preserve it.
Typical fields
- Date, time, location and the equipment or area involved.
- A factual description of what occurred and its potential consequences.
- Immediate containment and made-safe actions.
- People present and any technical findings.
- Whether external reporting may be required, and follow-up actions.
- Example fields only — adapt to your process and the applicable law.
Common mistakes
- Downplaying the event because no one happened to be injured.
- Disturbing the scene before it can be examined, where safe to preserve it.
- Missing a potentially required external report.
- Recording speculation instead of the observable facts.
Document workflow
A dangerous occurrence report usually triggers an urgent incident investigation report and, where required, an external report to an official authority. It feeds a root cause analysis form and corrective actions, and findings often drive a review of the relevant risk assessment and equipment inspection records.
See the related documents below for what is commonly completed after a dangerous occurrence report.
Retention (high level)
Records of serious occurrences are usually kept for a period set by the applicable law and the employer’s data-protection duties, and may need to be retained for a long time. This page does not state a period — confirm with the applicable law and the official authority.
Completing and sharing as a PDF
Dangerous occurrence reports are commonly completed and stored as PDFs, attached to the investigation and any external report. Exporting to PDF supports the record; it does not satisfy any external reporting duty by itself.
Employer checklist
- Make sure serious events are recognised and reported, not minimised.
- Investigate urgently and contain the immediate risk.
- Check whether external reporting is required, and report where it is.
- Keep records securely and protect any personal data.
Worker notes
- Report serious events at once, even if no one was hurt.
- Where safe, leave the scene undisturbed so it can be examined.
- Give a factual account of what you saw.
Country considerations
What counts as a reportable dangerous occurrence, to whom it must be reported and how quickly varies significantly by country, and the official authority differs. This page is general and high-level — not a statement of any country’s reporting law and not legal advice.
Confirm external reporting duties with the official authority for your country and a qualified professional.
Who is responsible
The employer is responsible for recording, investigating and (where required) externally reporting dangerous occurrences, and for compliance. This page is an educational overview with a template example; it does not determine your reporting duties or transfer responsibility.
Export, edit and share documents
The documents, policies and templates this involves can be exported, edited, signed, stored and shared as PDFs with the HELPERG PDF Editor.
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