Reporting for Duty
By Judith Sperling
Special to Aquatics International
November 2001
 n litigation, the “accident report” or “incident report” often takes center stage. At the beginning of an investigation, it’s one of the first documents attorneys ask for. Depending on how the staff completed the report, it can either validate and protect an organization, or it can make a case against an organization.
While it’s essential that an accident form is well organized and asks the right questions, the most important aspect is how supervisors train staffers to fill out the form.
| "Thorough training emphasizes to each employee the importance of the accident report as a legal record." |
Every lifeguard in-service training program should include accident-report training. Thorough training emphasizes to each employee the importance of the report as a legal record and as a source of information on a facility’s risks and hazards. In some cases, a report is required by local code.
Supervisors can test personnel on how well they understand accident report forms by presenting different accident or injury scenarios during training sessions, and having people complete report forms for each scenario. Scenarios should include both typical and worst-case incidents.
All reports should be reviewed promptly by supervisors. When supervisors begin seeing incomplete reports, they know it’s time for a refresher on accident report training.
Staff training on accident-report forms can include the following topics:
• Thorough reporting. Whether filling in a blank, checking a box or circling a choice of items, the preparer must complete the entire form. Never leave an information request empty. Stressed or hurried staffers can easily overlook basic information such as the date and time of day.
• Be specific. Describe exactly where the injury or incident occurred. If your report form doesn’t include a diagram of the facility, people can use the back of the form to draw a diagram and mark the specific location.
• Describe the injury in detail. Use terminology from first-aid training, and remember that many body parts have a left and a right side. There’s a professional difference between “a cut on the pinky” and “a 1/2-inch laceration to the palm side of the smallest last finger on the right hand.” Such detail can make the difference if a patron tries to make a false claim for an injury that occurred at another time or location.
If you have space on your report forms, include a diagram of a human body, so the preparer can pinpoint the exact location of an injury. If the injury isn’t visible, state exactly what the victim reports, for example, “Victim complains of pain on the left side of the chest.”
• Include source of information. If employees don’t witness the incident, they must state the source of information. Providing a source can protect a facility from appearing inefficient or, even worse, purposely concealing the truth if the information is later found to be inaccurate.
For example, “She was running on the pool deck to catch up to her brother” can have a different interpretation than “The victim stated that she was running on the pool deck to catch up with her brother.” If the information comes from a witness, write: “A witness, Mrs. Jones, stated that the injured party was running on the pool deck.” To help remind staffers of this important point, add a line that reads: “State source of information” on your form.
• Seek out witnesses. Many reports include space for information from witnesses, but often the preparers erroneously assume that if they didn’t observe an incident, no one else did either. They then make limited attempts to seek out witnesses. Supervisors should stress the importance of making contact with other guests to find witnesses.
• Exposure incidents. All accident report forms should include questions regarding bloodborne pathogen exposure incidents, and lifeguards should understand exactly what constitutes an exposure incident. Pathogen exposure often confuses lifeguards, and many have reported an exposure incident when there really wasn’t one. Supervisors should regularly review this topic and present scenarios during training to test the knowledge and understanding of lifeguards.
• Inappropriate elements. Staffers must understand that certain things don’t belong in a report, such as assumptions, diagnoses, opinions, stated or implied fault, statements about how the accident could have been prevented, and statements about how the facility’s staff could have acted differently.
• Sign the report. Many reports don’t include the name of the person who completed the form. This can present difficulties during defense if clarification is necessary and no one knows or remembers who filled out the report.
Online Exclusive: View two sample accident report forms to generate ideas for your facility.
 Report 1
Report 2
Judith Sperling is the safety training/risk manager for the University of California at Los Angeles Recreation Department. Sperling has more than 30 years of experience in aquatics and can be reached at jsperlin@saonet.ucla.edu.
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