Incident response guidance
What to do after a workplace accident or near miss
The first actions should protect people and prevent further harm. Once the immediate situation is controlled, preserve reliable information and organise a proportionate response.
1. Care for people and make the area safe
Stop affected work, arrange emergency or medical assistance and prevent other people entering danger. Control any ongoing energy, movement, release, instability or exposure only where it is safe and competent to do so.
Avoid changing the scene more than necessary for rescue, treatment and immediate safety. Record any unavoidable changes later.
2. Escalate through the agreed route
Notify the site manager, employer, client or other people required by the project arrangements. Serious events may require immediate senior, insurer, legal or regulatory input. Do not wait for an outside consultant before making a statutory notification that your organisation is required to make.
3. Decide whether the event is reportable
Certain work-related injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported under Northern Ireland’s reporting requirements. The duty to report rests with the appropriate person defined by the regulations, not automatically with the injured person or an external investigator.
Use the current HSENI incident-reporting guidance and forms. If the position is unclear, obtain appropriate advice promptly and keep a record of the decision.
4. Preserve relevant evidence
- Secure the area and relevant equipment where practicable.
- Record the scene, layout, conditions and any changes made for safety.
- Retain relevant CCTV, permits, RAMS, inspection records and equipment information.
- Identify people who saw the event or the conditions beforehand.
- Keep items and records in a controlled, traceable manner.
Respect privacy and avoid circulating distressing images or personal information through informal channels.
5. Capture early accounts carefully
Record factual initial information while memories are fresh, but do not pressure people or treat early conversations as a search for blame. Witnesses may need time, support or a formal interview arranged later.
6. Put proportionate interim controls in place
Before similar work restarts, consider what needs to be suspended, changed, checked or briefed. An interim control should be clear about its owner, scope and review point. Avoid declaring a permanent solution before the causes are understood.
Plan the investigation
The investigation should match the potential and actual severity of the event. Define the lead, team, independence required, evidence sources, interview arrangements and reporting route. Look beyond the immediate act to planning, supervision, design, equipment, communication and organisational factors.
Corrective actions should address supported findings, name an owner and have a realistic completion date. Share relevant learning with the people and projects that can act on it.
Near misses deserve attention
A near miss may reveal the same failed controls as an injury event. Consider the credible potential outcome, not only the fact that nobody was harmed this time.
Official Northern Ireland reporting information
This article is general information, not emergency, legal or regulatory advice. Follow your organisation’s arrangements and current official guidance. Obtain specialist advice where the event, reporting position or evidence requires it.