Building incident record: what to keep and why

A building incident record is the written account of an event at a property: what happened, when, who was affected, who was told, what was done and what followed. The most useful ones are started while the incident is still running, use the same fields every time and are kept somewhere the whole team can open.

This guide sets out what to capture, a simple timeline format, a step-by-step way to build the record and a checklist for the weeks afterwards. It also covers how to prove who was told, which is the part most records are missing.

What is a building incident record?

It is the single place where the facts of an incident are kept. It is not the same as a notification to a regulator, an insurance claim or a message to tenants, although it feeds all three. Think of it as the source document that anyone can read later and understand what took place without asking you.

Incidents in commercial and mixed-use buildings are varied: a fire alarm, a burst pipe, a power failure, a lift entrapment, a security breach, a contractor injury. The record has the same shape in every case, which is why a fixed template works.

What should a building incident record include?

Keep the fields short and factual. Opinions and blame belong elsewhere. Capture these on every incident:

How do you build the record during an incident?

Start the record at the first call, not at the end of the day. Memory fades quickly and a timeline built afterwards tends to be tidier than what actually happened.

1. Open a record straight away. Note the time you were told, by whom, and what they said.
2. Write down each action as it happens. One line, one time. Do not wait to tidy it.
3. Send one notice to the people affected. Choose the property and the contact types, so the right people hear at once. See the guide to emergency notification for tenants.
4. Save the delivery status. Record who received the notice and who did not, and follow up the gaps another way.
5. Log who is on site. Contractors and visitors are part of any count. A live sign-in record answers it in seconds.
6. Attach evidence. Photos, call-out tickets, alarm panel logs and reference numbers go in the same place.
7. Close the record. Note the time the incident ended and who signed it off.

How do you show who was told?

After an incident, the most common question is some form of "who knew, and when?" An owner may ask. A tenant may say they were never told. An insurer may want the sequence. Check your own policy and agreements for exactly what each party needs, but in every case a clear answer is better than a recollection.

Most teams answer it from scattered sources: a text from a personal phone, an email from one inbox, a call that nobody wrote down. Each of those proves something small. None of them shows the whole group.

A better record has three parts: the exact message that was sent, the list of people it was sent to and the outcome for each person on each channel. If you can produce those three, you can answer the question without argument.

What do health and safety rules say about records?

In New Zealand, serious work-related events must be reported to WorkSafe. WorkSafe's guidance, What events need to be notified, explains that a notifiable event is a death, a notifiable injury or illness, or a notifiable incident, and that only serious events are intended to be notified. WorkSafe's page on what to notify says to notify as soon as possible after you become aware of a notifiable event.

WorkSafe's guidance also sets out follow-on duties: to preserve the site and to keep a record of each notifiable event. Under section 57 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, that record must be kept for at least five years from the date notice is given to WorkSafe. Most building incidents are not notifiable events, but a consistent record from the start means you are ready if one is. Check the current wording of the Act and take advice for your own situation.

Does the Privacy Act matter for incident records?

Yes. An incident record often holds names, phone numbers and details about injuries or behaviour, which is personal information. The Privacy Act 2020 sets out the information privacy principles for collecting, storing and using it. In practice, record only what you need, limit who can open the file and keep it only as long as there is a reason to. Seek advice if you are unsure what applies.

Incident record template

Copy this layout into a document or form and use it for every incident. Keeping the order fixed makes records comparable and easy to scan.

Incident reference / Property and location / Date and time first reported / Reported by / What happened / People affected / Notice sent: message, channels, time, recipients / Delivery results and follow-up calls / Actions taken with times / Contractors and services attended / Photos and documents / Resolved at / Follow-up actions, owner and due date

Checklist for the weeks after an incident

• The record is complete, signed off and stored where the team can find it
• Every person who should have been told has been checked against the delivery results
• Bounced emails and wrong numbers have been corrected in the contact list
• Photos, tickets and reference numbers are attached to the record
• Follow-up actions have an owner and a date
• Tenants and owners who asked for a summary have received one
• Access to the record is limited to the people who need it
• The emergency plan has been updated if the incident showed a gap

How does Properlex help with incident records?

Properlex, the relationship platform for property, builds the notification half of the record as you work. When something goes wrong, you choose the properties and contact types affected, write the notice once and send it by SMS and email together. You do not have to log the message separately.

Afterwards, the delivery report shows the status for every recipient on every channel, and a full audit trail records who sent what, to whom and when. Bounced emails and numbers that are out of service stand out, so you can correct the contact before the next notice. Properlex also holds evacuation plans and site documents, shared with the parties you choose, and vendor and visitor sign-in gives a time-stamped list of who is on site. See the emergency response page for how the pieces fit together, and the solution for facilities managers.

The record is only as good as the contact list behind it. The cost of keeping that list current by hand is easy to underestimate. Use the free contact admin cost calculator to put a figure on it for your team.

Frequently asked questions