Reporting Injuries, Incidents & Near Misses
Reporting is how a jobsite learns. Every injury, close call and unsafe condition you report gives your crew a chance to fix the problem before someone else gets hurt.
- Construction
- General Industry
What to report
- Injuries and illnesses: any injury, even a small cut, strain or something in your eye. Small injuries can get worse, and you may need the record later for workers’ compensation.
- Near misses: something that almost caused an injury or damage. Example: a hammer falls from a scaffold and lands next to someone.
- Property damage: equipment strikes, damaged utilities, vehicle incidents.
- Unsafe conditions: missing guardrails, damaged cords, open holes, blocked exits.
- Unsafe acts: bring these up respectfully. The goal is to fix the problem, not punish a person.
When and how
- Get help first. For serious injuries, call 911 and give first aid. See First Aid Basics.
- Make the area safe so no one else is hurt.
- Tell your supervisor right away, the same shift.
- Fill out your company’s report form. Stick to facts: what happened, where, when, who, and what you saw.
- Don’t move things after a serious incident unless needed for safety. Investigators may need to see the scene.
Know the deadlines: employers must report a work-related fatality to OSHA within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. See Injury Recordkeeping & Reporting.
You are protected
Your employer must have a reasonable way for you to report injuries and cannot punish or discourage you for reporting. See Whistleblower & Anti-Retaliation Protection.
Why near misses matter: for every serious injury there are usually many minor incidents and close calls with the same cause. Fixing the cause after a near miss is free; fixing it after an injury is not.
Standards & references
- 29 CFR 1904.35: Employee involvement and reporting procedures
- 29 CFR 1904.39: Reporting fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye
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