Hazard and Incident Registers: What to Track and Why It Matters
Hazard and incident registers turn reports into action by showing trends, overdue follow-up, and whether controls are working.
Quick answer
Hazard and incident registers turn reports into action by showing trends, overdue follow-up, and whether controls are working.
The register is not just a list
A register should help the business make decisions. It needs enough detail to show what happened, what risk remains, who owns the action, and when follow-up is due.
Fields worth capturing
Keep the form simple enough for workers to use, but structured enough to report on trends.
- Date, site, project, and reporter
- Hazard or incident type
- Immediate action taken
- Risk rating or severity
- Corrective action owner and due date
Close the loop
A hazard report without a closed action is weak evidence. Review overdue actions, repeated categories, and controls that fail across multiple sites.
Frequently asked questions
Should near misses be recorded?
Yes. Near-miss reporting helps identify weak controls before someone is injured.
Who should own corrective actions?
Assign each action to a named person with a due date, then record closure evidence.
What should management review?
Review repeated hazards, serious incidents, overdue actions, and whether controls are reducing risk over time.
Next step
Use this guide to check your current evidence, then move the work into a controlled system with documents, forms, registers, and review actions.
Explore WHS registers