AI-Assisted Incident Investigation Reporting

1. Go to claude.ai in your browser
2. Click Start for Free and create an account with your email
3. Verify your email and log in
4. You'll land on a chat interface — this is where you'll work

What you should see: A blank conversation with a text input box at the bottom. The interface looks like any chat app.

Troubleshooting: If the free tier is throttled during high-traffic periods, try early morning or evening. Claude Pro ($20/mo) removes these limits.

Before your next incident, write and save this template in a text file or sticky note so you can paste it quickly:

You are an OSHA compliance expert helping me write a professional incident investigation report. I'll give you the facts. Write a complete report with these sections:

1. INCIDENT SUMMARY (1 paragraph: what happened, date, location, people involved)
2. TIMELINE OF EVENTS (chronological bulleted list)
3. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS (use the 5 Whys method — show all 5 iterations)
4. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS (systemic factors beyond the immediate cause)
5. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS (3–5 specific actions with suggested owners and 30/60/90-day due dates)
6. OSHA CLASSIFICATION (explain whether this is recordable under 29 CFR 1904 and why)

Here are the facts: [PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE]

Additional context:
- Facility type: [manufacturing/construction/warehouse/etc.]
- Applicable OSHA standard: [e.g., 1910.147 LOTO]
- Injury/illness (if any): [describe]
- Witnesses: [names and brief statement summaries]

Before opening Claude, collect your notes in one place. You don't need to write full sentences — bullet points are fine. Include:

• Exact date, time, location (building, area, equipment ID)
• Who was involved (job titles — no full names needed for initial draft)
• The sequence of events as you understand them
• Physical evidence observations
• Initial witness statements (paraphrased is fine)
• Any immediate actions taken

The quality of the AI output depends on the quality of your input. Five minutes organizing your notes pays off.

1. Open Claude (claude.ai)
2. Click New Conversation
3. Paste your master template into the text box
4. Replace [PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE] with your actual incident notes
5. Fill in the Additional Context fields at the bottom
6. Press Enter or click the send button

What you should see: Claude begins generating the report section by section. It will take 30–60 seconds for a complete report.

Troubleshooting: If the output is too short, ask "Please expand the Root Cause Analysis section and provide more detail on contributing factors." Claude responds to follow-up requests in the same conversation.

Read through the entire draft and check:

• Are all facts correct? (AI can get creative if your notes are vague)
• Does the root cause make logical sense given the facts?
• Are the corrective actions specific enough to be actionable?
• Is the OSHA classification reasoning sound?

Replace generic language with site-specific details: equipment model numbers, specific regulatory citation paragraphs, your company's corrective action system names.

1. Copy the edited text from Claude
2. Paste into your Word document, EHS platform, or regulatory form
3. Add any required signature lines, document control numbers, or form-specific fields your company requires
4. Save with your standard naming convention (date + incident type + facility)