What should I write in the accident book?

Write who was hurt, when and exactly where it happened, a short factual description of the cause, the injury and body part, what was done, and who made the entry. Add the RIDDOR decision and any actions to prevent it happening again.

Should I write who was to blame?

No. Stick to facts about what happened. Opinions about fault belong in an investigation, not the accident book entry.

Is there a standard accident book format?

There is no required format. The HSE publishes the BI 510 accident book, but any book, form or digital system is acceptable if it records the required details and keeps them secure.

Accident Book Entry Examples: What to Write

Knowing what the law requires is one thing. Knowing what to actually write when someone has just cut their hand is another. These worked accident book entry examples show what a good, complete entry looks like, section by section.

For the legal minimum an entry must contain, see what must be recorded in an accident book.

The format of a good accident book entry

Whatever book, form or system you use, a complete entry covers:

Who was hurt: name, address and occupation.
When: date and time.
Where: the exact location, not just the site.
What happened: a short, factual description of the cause.
The injury: what it is and which part of the body.
What was done: first aid, hospital, time off.
Who made the entry, if not the injured person.
Follow-up: RIDDOR decision and actions to stop it happening again.

Example 1: slip on a wet floor

Injured person	Sam Taylor, 12 High Street, Leeds LS1 1AA. Kitchen porter.
Date and time	14 March, 19:40
Location	Main kitchen, between the dishwasher and the back door
What happened	Carrying a rack of clean plates from the dishwasher. Slipped on water leaking from the dishwasher door seal and fell backwards.
Injury	Bruised lower back and graze to right elbow
Action taken	First aider cleaned and dressed graze. Sam finished the shift on light duties.
Entry made by	Priya Shah, Head Chef, on Sam’s behalf
Follow-up	Not RIDDOR reportable. Dishwasher seal reported for repair; wet floor sign placed until fixed.

Example 2: cut from a knife

Injured person	Alex Morgan, 4 Park Road, Bristol BS2 2BB. Warehouse operative.
Date and time	2 June, 10:15
Location	Goods-in bay 3
What happened	Opening a delivery box with a fixed-blade knife. Blade slipped off the tape and cut the left hand.
Injury	2 cm cut to the base of left thumb
Action taken	First aid given. Went to the minor injuries unit for adhesive strips. Returned to work the next day.
Entry made by	Alex Morgan
Follow-up	Not RIDDOR reportable. Fixed-blade knives replaced with safety cutters in goods-in.

Example 3: back injury from lifting

Injured person	Jordan Lee, 88 Mill Lane, Manchester M4 4CC. Care assistant.
Date and time	9 October, 07:05
Location	Room 14, first floor
What happened	Helping a resident sit up in bed without the slide sheet, which was not in the room. Felt a sharp pain in the lower back.
Injury	Lower back strain
Action taken	Stopped work and went home. Signed off by GP for two weeks.
Entry made by	Chris Evans, Deputy Manager, on Jordan’s behalf
Follow-up	Over-7-day injury, reported to the HSE within 15 days. Slide sheets now stored in every room; manual handling refresher booked.

This is a good example of why entries need following up. The injury looked minor on the day but became RIDDOR reportable once the absence passed seven days.

Example 4: visitor fall

Injured person	Member of the public. Name, address and phone number taken.
Date and time	21 December, 15:30
Location	Front entrance steps
What happened	Visitor slipped on ice on the second step while leaving. The steps had not been gritted.
Injury	Suspected broken right wrist
Action taken	First aid given. Taken directly to hospital by ambulance.
Entry made by	Dana Price, Reception Manager
Follow-up	RIDDOR reportable, as a member of the public was taken straight from the scene to hospital for treatment. Reported online. Gritting added to the winter opening checklist.

Common mistakes in accident book entries

Too vague: “Hurt hand” tells you nothing about the cause or how to prevent it.
Blame or opinion: “Wasn’t paying attention” is not a fact and may cause problems in a claim.
No exact location: “Warehouse” makes it impossible to spot hazard hotspots.
Missing follow-up: without a RIDDOR decision and actions, the entry does not show you acted.
Other people’s details on show: in a shared paper book, everyone can read earlier entries, which is a GDPR problem.

Templates and tools

Download our free accident book template with every section above, or use a digital accident book that prompts for each detail, time-stamps the entry and helps with the RIDDOR decision.