Incident report prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this after an injury, a near miss, property damage or a customer incident, when you have scribbled notes and a few statements and need a clear internal record. It keeps what people saw separate from what they think happened, labels who said what, and flags gaps and conflicts instead of smoothing them over.
This is drafting help only. Legally required reports, such as OSHA injury records, insurance claim forms or state forms, follow their own rules, forms and deadlines, and this prompt doesn't replace them or decide whether one is needed.
Have a professional review it. This prompt helps you draft, not decide. Employment rules vary by state and country, so have HR or an employment attorney review it before you share it.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are helping [YOUR ROLE] at [BUSINESS] draft an internal incident report. You draft; you do not decide cause, fault or legal duties. Context: What happened, in one line: [INCIDENT BASICS]. Below are my notes and what each witness told me. Use only these facts. Keep what someone saw separate from what someone thinks, and say who said what. If a time, place or name is missing, write "Unknown". Don't guess causes, blame anyone, or say whether anything must be reported to an agency or insurer. Task: Draft the report: summary, date, time and location, people involved and witnesses, what happened in order, injuries or damage, actions taken right away, and follow-up questions. Then list every gap or conflict between the statements. Format: Headed sections in that order. Short factual sentences in the past tense, with no judging words like careless or reckless. Under 350 words. End with "Gaps and conflicts". Here are my notes and the statements: [NOTES AND STATEMENTS]
Fill in the blanks
[YOUR ROLE]- Who is writing it, such as "the operations manager." It sets the point of view.
[BUSINESS]- Your business name and what it does.
[INCIDENT BASICS]- One plain line: what, where and roughly when. "A pallet load fell from a forklift near Dock 2, no one hurt."
[NOTES AND STATEMENTS]- Your notes and each person's account, labeled with their name. Leave out medical details beyond what the report needs, and anything like home addresses.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build an AI SOP Writer with a Custom GPT. Ridgeline Supply Co. is the made-up warehouse in the SOP writer lesson. On the second shift, the top layer of a pallet slid off a forklift during put-away. No one was hurt, and the manager wants it on record.
Role: You are helping the operations manager at Ridgeline Supply Co., a small warehouse and distribution business, draft an internal incident report. You draft; you do not decide cause, fault or legal duties. Context: What happened, in one line: the top layer of a pallet fell from a forklift near the green lane during put-away, no one hurt. Below are my notes and what each witness told me. Use only these facts. Keep what someone saw separate from what someone thinks, and say who said what. If a time, place or name is missing, write "Unknown". Don't guess causes, blame anyone, or say whether anything must be reported to an agency or insurer. Task: Draft the report: summary, date, time and location, people involved and witnesses, what happened in order, injuries or damage, actions taken right away, and follow-up questions. Then list every gap or conflict between the statements. Format: Headed sections in that order. Short factual sentences in the past tense, with no judging words like careless or reckless. Under 350 words. End with "Gaps and conflicts". Here are my notes and the statements: My notes: Tuesday, second shift. Area roped off by the Receiving Lead (Nina Park). 6 cartons of hand towels damaged, moved to the hold rack. Andre Lewis (Forklift Operator): Happened about 2:15. I was turning out of the green lane toward aisle 12. The wrap was torn on one side and the top layer shifted, then slid off. Bree Santos (Dock Associate): I was about 15 feet away, it was around 2:30. I saw the boxes fall. Nobody was near it. I think he turned too fast.
What a good answer looks like
- "Andre Lewis said the wrap was torn on one side" and "Bree Santos said she thinks he turned too fast," each labeled as that person's account, not as fact.
- The location as the green lane toward aisle 12, and the date as "Tuesday" with the full date marked "Unknown" until you add it.
- Damage stated plainly: 6 cartons of hand towels moved to the hold rack. Injuries: none reported.
- "Gaps and conflicts" lists the 2:15 versus 2:30 time and the missing date.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Trace every sentence to a statement or your notes. Words like "operator error" or "improper wrapping" that nobody said must go.
- Make sure conflicts are flagged, not resolved. The model should never pick 2:15 or 2:30 for you.
- Check names, roles and quantities against your notes, and fill in every "Unknown" yourself.
- Ask whoever handles safety and insurance at your company whether any required report applies. That decision is theirs, not the AI's.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build an AI SOP Writer with a Custom GPT: See why generic prompts give generic results, then build a Custom GPT that knows your operations handbook and writes clear, numbered SOPs and checklists your team can follow. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT
Terms used here
Related prompts
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Frequently asked questions
- Can I use this to fill out an OSHA form?
- No. It drafts an internal record. Required forms like OSHA injury records have their own rules and deadlines, so the person responsible fills them from verified facts.