Serious Incident Reporting

While there is significant value in developing tailored data calls to reflect the wide range of postulated risks a company might face, there is also mileage in having a catch‐all incident data call which meets the generic needs of those risks which might not have been anticipated; or span multiple areas. Companies should develop a standardized serious incident report (SIR) to document and manage information flow on serious events that occur within a project or region. The report should be completed and released during and following each serious incident, either to capture multiple risk natures or to reflect a gap in company reporting templates. Companies may wish to have staged reports to capture the details of a fluid event requiring initial, interim, and closure reports. All reports must be completed correctly and in sufficient detail, as they may be used for audit or investigation purposes. The company or its subcontracted vendors might have preferences regarding formatting as well as the distribution list—these should be in alignment with the communications plan. An agreement should be reached between the company and external parties to ensure that reports capture all necessary details and are sent only to agreed recipients. Serious incidents might include hostile incidents resulting in injury, death, or major project problems; severe injury or death from natural causes or accidents; serious industrial accidents or evacuations; serious legal or reputational situations; and the loss of a critical of high‐value asset. The following provides a suggested format for a SIR.

Serious Incident Report Incident Management Data Call

It is useful to catalog and distribute measures that have been tried and have either failed or succeeded during a crisis situation in order to avoid duplication and demonstrate efforts being taken to a wider audience, as well as illustrate the degree of focus being paid toward resolving an issue. It also provides a fail‐safe to ensure that no options are accidently overlooked. A common failing found within response measures is for the crisis management team, either local or corporate, to not mention failed efforts, but rather to focus on successful approaches. This can create further questions and not illustrate the efforts and routes being pursued to resolve an issue. A full reporting of successes and failures is important during a crisis situation—as well as for any postincident investigations. A simple format should be used to track all efforts attempted, such as the example provided here: