Incident reporting
What to report, how to write it up, and why near misses matter.
Why report
Reporting incidents and near misses shows where processes fail so they can be fixed. It is about learning, not blame.
What to report
Needlestick injuries, nerve injury, arterial puncture, significant bruising, fainting with injury, mislabelled or unlabelled samples, blood taken from the wrong patient, equipment failures, complaints, and anything that caused or could have caused harm.
Writing a report
Report as soon as you can, using your organisation’s system. Record what happened factually: when and where, who was involved, what you did, and the outcome.
Near misses
A near miss is something that could have caused harm but did not, such as spotting a mislabelled tube before it left. Report these too.
Reporting to regulators
Some workplace injuries and incidents must also be reported to the Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR. Check the HSE’s guidance for what applies.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between the UK nations and change over time; check official guidance or take advice for your situation.
Related topics
Infection prevention and control
Hand hygiene, PPE, skin preparation and cleaning equipment in phlebotomy.
Sharps
Using, containing and disposing of sharps safely.
Temperature control for samples
Keeping blood samples within the laboratory’s temperature and time requirements.
Consent
Valid consent for blood collection, and what to do when a patient may lack capacity.
Lola Dispatch is invitation-only
Lola Dispatch offers mobile blood draw jobs to approved phlebotomists. We add phlebotomists by invitation.
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