Which items are typically included in an incident report?

• A. Weather, company payroll, marketing plan, client preferences
• B. Date/time, location, parties involved, a factual narrative, actions taken, evidence collected, witnesses, and follow-up steps
• C. Employee bios, sales figures, inventory
• D. None of the above

Answer: (B)

Incidents are documented with a clear, objective account of what happened and how it was handled, so responders and investigators have a reliable record. The essential items are date and time, location, parties involved, a factual narrative, actions taken, evidence collected, witnesses, and follow-up steps. Date and time establish the timeline; location shows where it occurred; parties involved identify who was present or affected; a factual narrative gives a chronological, unbiased account of observations; actions taken records immediate responses to control or mitigate the incident; evidence collected includes photos, video, logs, or physical items kept with proper custody; witnesses note others who can corroborate details; follow-up steps outline any further investigation, referrals, or corrective actions. The remaining information—such as weather, payroll, marketing plans, or client preferences—does not belong in the incident report unless it directly relates to the incident, since the report is focused on what happened and how it was addressed.