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A note written the next day from memory is not documentation of an incident but an account of it. Incident documentation is created on the spot: with the time recorded by the system, a point on the site map, photos and the signature of the person reporting it. A note from memory lacks the time, the exact location, the order of events and whatever could be seen at the scene that can no longer be seen. In a dispute or a claim to the insurer, that difference is decisive.
Notes get written the next day for one reason: at the time of the incident there is nothing to make them with.
What can be recorded at the time of the incident
The time is saved as a system timestamp, so nobody types it in from memory. The location is marked as a point on the site map instead of a description such as ‘by the gate on the warehouse side’. Photos show the scene before it was cleared up, which cannot be recreated later, and the description is written while the details are still fresh. People and vehicles are picked from the register, so the report is linked to specific records. Finally, the person reporting signs on the device.
The photos and the location are the most valuable parts, because the description can be completed later, but the state of the scene before it was cleared cannot.
Why a photo on a private phone is not enough
A photo taken on a private phone ends up in the security officer’s gallery, not in the incident file. It has no link to the incident, it gets passed around on messaging apps, and when the officer changes jobs it leaves with the phone. A separate problem is that data from the site stays on a private device.
The incident register and PDF report in TraxSystem
In TraxSystem a reported incident goes into the register with a category and a status. The person responsible picks it up, and the whole record produces a PDF report with the photos, the map and the signature.
An incident register only makes sense if someone looks at it. Without a named person and a regular review, it turns into an archive that nobody opens.
How to set incident categories before go-live
Incident categories are agreed before the register goes live. If the breakdown is too fine, the security officer picks the first item on the list; if it is too broad, everything ends up under ‘other’. A category makes sense when you know who handles the reports in it.
What the incident register will not do
TraxSystem will not judge whether an event is an incident, because a person reports it. Nor will it detect an event by itself, because it is not a CCTV system with video analytics.
The system does not replace a report to the police or emergency services or to the insurer: it provides the documentation, but it does not run the formal process. Nor will it decide who is liable, because it gathers facts and does not draw conclusions from them.
Questions and answers
What does the security officer use to report an incident?
A mobile device, the same one used to confirm checkpoints on patrol.
Can the report be passed to the insurer?
Yes, as a PDF file with the photos, the map and the signature. Whether it is enough for a particular claim is for the insurer to decide.
Are the photos covered by retention?
Yes, like all other data. You set the retention period in the retention policy.
Can someone outside security report an incident?
Yes, if you give them the permission. This is useful for warehouse shift managers, for example.
Is the incident register a separate module?
No. The incident register is part of the Site security module, whose price depends on the number of guard posts. The pricing configurator shows the module rate for the base package you choose.
See also: What is a security duty log · Guard tour checkpoints: patrol records you don’t have to take on trust · Software for a security company