PublicProof AcademyWorking document

Reviewed Sep 9, 2026

Incident and Damage Report

Fill this the same day, every time, whether or not you think you caused it. This is the document that decides who pays.

Write it while you are still on site. Memory degrades fast and an account written three days later reads like a reconstruction, because it is one. Photographs taken at the time are worth more than any sentence you can write afterwards.

1. Basics

Report number	[IR-001]	Date of incident	[]
Time noticed	[]	Time reported	[]
Customer	[]	Job or site	[]
Completed by	[]	Role	[]

2. What type

[property damage / injury / near miss / loss or theft / vehicle / customer complaint / other]

3. Who was present

Name	Role	Contact	Witness
[]	[]	[]	[yes / no]
[]	[]	[]	[yes / no]
[]	[]	[]	[yes / no]

4. What happened

Plain sequence, in order, no opinions and no blame. Just what occurred.

[WRITE IT OUT. What was being done, what happened, what you did next.]

5. What was damaged or affected

Item	Description of damage	Pre-existing
[]	[]	[yes / no / unsure]
[]	[]	[yes / no / unsure]
[]	[]	[yes / no / unsure]

If it was pre-existing and you have a photo from before the job, say so here and attach it. That is the single most useful line on this page.

6. Photographs

Photo #	What it shows	Time taken
1	[]	[]
2	[]	[]
3	[]	[]
4	[]	[]
5	[]	[]

Wide shot first so the location is obvious, then close. Stored where: []

7. Injury, if any

Person injured	[or write NONE]
Nature of injury	[]
First aid given	[yes / no, by whom]
Medical attention sought	[yes / no / declined]
Emergency services called	[yes / no, time]

8. What was said to the customer

Record what you actually said. Do not admit fault or promise who pays before you have spoken to your insurer.

[e.g. "I told them I would document it, report it today, and come back with an answer within 24 hours."]

9. Immediate action taken

[made safe, cleaned up, isolated, stopped work, replaced, other]

10. Next steps

Action	Owner	By when	Done
Notify insurer	[]	[]	[]
Follow up with customer	[]	[]	[]
[repair or replace]	[]	[]	[]
[change a procedure so it does not recur]	[]	[]	[]

11. What would stop this happening again

[One honest sentence. This is the only part of the form that improves the business rather than protecting it.]

Completed by, signature and date

Reviewed by owner, signature and date

Before you use this: This is a working starting point, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Read every line, replace every bracketed field, delete what does not apply to you, and have anything you are unsure about reviewed by a qualified professional in your state before you sign it or send it to a customer.