Incident Reporting Procedures

Incident Reporting Procedures

For all incident/accident reports, please follow the following steps to ensure we are clear, concise, and efficient in our reporting procedures.

• The incident reporting form can be found at ymcacolumbus.org/incidentreport The YMCA of Central Ohio uses an online incident form for reporting all incidents or accidents and a witness statement form for any additional statements that may be needed. Any witness statements would then need dragged from the desktop into the files section of the online report.

• Start the report as soon as possible. Write it the same day as the incident if possible. If you wait a day or two your memory will start to get a little fuzzy. You should write down the basic facts you need to remember as soon as the incident occurs. 

• Provide the basic facts. Make sure each space on the reporting form is complete to the best of your ability providing only facts.

• Include a line about the general nature of the incident. Describe what brought to you at the scene of the incident. If you received a call, describe the call and note what time you received it. Write an objective, factual sentence describing what occurred.

Describing What Happened:

• Write a first person narrative telling what happened. Write a chronological narrative of exactly what happened when you reported to the scene.

• Use the full names of each person included in the report.

• If possible, make sure to include direct quotes from witnesses and other people involved in the incident.

• Include an accurate description of your own role in the course of what occurred

• Be thorough. Write as much as you can remember - the more details, the better. Don't leave room for people reading the report to interpret something the wrong way. Don't worry about your report being too long or wordy. The important thing is to report a complete picture of what occurred.

• Be accurate. Do not write something in the report that you aren't sure actually happened. Report hearsay as hearsay, not as fact.[1]

• Be clear. Don't use flowery, confusing language to describe what occurred. Your writing should be clear and concise. Use short, to-the-point, fact-oriented sentences that don't leave room for interpretation.[2]

• Do not use legal or technical words

• Use short, to-the-point sentences that emphasize facts and that don't leave room for interpretation.

• Be honest. Even if you're not proud of how you handled the situation, it's imperative that you write an honest account. 

Polishing the Report

• Double check the basic facts. Check to make sure the basic information (spellings of names, the dates, times, and addresses, the license plate numbers, etc.) match those you listed in your report.

• Do not try to make sure that statements in your report match those of your colleagues. Individually filed reports guarantee that more than one account of an incident survives. Incident reports can appear later in a court of law. 

• Edit and proofread your report. Read through it to make sure it's coherent and easy to understand. Make sure you didn't leave out any information that should have been included. Look for obvious gaps in the narrative that you might need to fill in. 

• Remove any words that could be seen as subjective or judgmental, like words describing feelings and emotions.

Submit your incident report 

• All reports will be sent according to YMCA of Central Ohio emergency communication procedures. 

• When possible, submit an incident report in person and make yourself available to answer further questions or provide clarification. 

• After an incident report is sent, a copy of the report is sent immediately to the Risk Management team for review. A copy if also sent to the Executive Director and the Vice President and CEO, when applicable.

• Follow up's, submissions to the insurer, or remediation steps are at the discretion of the Risk Management team. 

• Please ensure that you follow all directions on the incident report as there are certain levels of incidents that require an immediate phone call to be made to ensure a prompt and efficient response. 

• All follow-ups that are done at the location level should be done within 24 hours and the report should be updated every time there is a follow up to the same incident. All information for each incident lives in the one report.

• Incident reports are reviewed regularly for trends and follow-up efficiency. Necessary changes to operations or programs must be made in a timely manner and approved at the advisement of Risk Management and the VP of the program. Any trends that are identified must submit a remediation plan to ensure that this type of incident is not reoccurring.

• Any questions or concerns, please call or write Elissa James directly.