Printing Policy 11.24: Incident Report Policy on its own.
Policy 11.24 — Eddie's Doggy Daycare, Paddock Farm, Harlow, Essex CM17 9HP
Incident Report Policy
Document Control
Document Ref: EDDC-POL-020 | Category: Incident Management | Version: 2.0 Effective Date: October 2025 | Review Date: October 2026 | Owner: Edward Kirwan
Incident Report Policy
Purpose
This policy establishes the requirements for reporting, documenting, and managing all incidents that occur at Eddie's Doggy Daycare. An incident is defined as any injury, illness, accident, near-miss, or irregular event involving a dog, staff member, customer, or visitor. Thorough incident reporting is essential for animal welfare, staff safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. This policy applies to all staff without exception.
1. What Must Be Reported
All of the following must be reported as an incident:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Dog Injury | Scratches, bites, limping, bleeding, sprains — however minor |
| Dog Fight | Any aggressive interaction resulting in physical contact between dogs |
| Dog Sickness | Vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures, collapse, suspected infection |
| Staff Injury | Bites, scratches, slips, trips, falls, manual handling injuries |
| Transport Incident | Vehicle accident, near-miss, dog escape during loading/unloading |
| Customer Incident | Customer not available for collection, complaint, confrontation |
| Dog Not Available | Dog not at home for pick-up, owner unresponsive |
| No Pay | Customer fails to pay for services rendered |
| Near-Miss | Any event that could have resulted in injury or harm but did not |
| Property Damage | Damage to daycare equipment, customer property, or vehicles |
| Security | Unauthorised access, breach of site security, lost keys |
| Other | Anything unusual or concerning that does not fit the above categories |
Reporting Threshold
When in doubt, REPORT IT. It is always better to log an incident that turns out to be minor than to fail to report something significant. Under-reporting is a disciplinary matter.
2. How to Report
All incidents must be reported on our incident report system via the ProPet portal: www.eddiesdoggydaycare-admin.propetware.com
The following fields must be completed in full:
| Field | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | Exact date and time |
| Incident type(s) | Select all applicable categories |
| Incident severity | Minor / Moderate / Serious / Critical |
| Customers, pets, and staff involved | All parties, even witnesses |
| Description of incident | Detailed, factual account — what happened, where, how, and why (if known) |
| Immediate action taken | What was done at the scene? First aid, separation, vet call, etc. |
| Instructions for staff | Any future precautions (shown on future bookings for that dog) |
| Vets contacted? | Yes/No — if yes, record advice given |
| Photographs | Always take photos of ALL injuries — dog and/or human |
| Owner notification | Date and time owner was informed, method of contact, owner's response |
3. Severity Classification
| Severity | Description | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Small scratch, brief disagreement with no injury, minor upset | Report by end of day |
| Moderate | Visible wound requiring cleaning/monitoring, dog showing stress, minor staff injury | Report within 1 hour. Notify management. |
| Serious | Bite wound requiring vet attention, staff injury requiring medical attention, dog escape (quickly recovered) | Report immediately. Notify Owner. |
| Critical | Severe bite, broken bone, dog death, dog escape (unrecovered), serious staff injury, vehicle accident with injury | Report immediately. Emergency services if needed. Notify Owner immediately. |
4. Follow-Up Procedures
- Management review: All incident reports are reviewed by the manager on duty within 24 hours. Serious and critical incidents are reviewed by the Owner.
- Root cause analysis: For serious and critical incidents, a root cause analysis must be completed to identify contributing factors and prevent recurrence.
- Corrective actions: Any changes to procedures, risk assessments, or group compositions resulting from the incident must be documented and communicated to all staff.
- Owner communication: The dog's owner must be informed of any incident involving their dog on the same day. For serious incidents, a phone call is required — text or email is not sufficient.
- RIDDOR: Staff injuries that are reportable under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) must be reported to the HSE. See Section 3 of this manual for RIDDOR reporting thresholds.
5. The "Instructions for Staff" Field
The "instructions for staff" field on ProPet is a critical communication tool. Notes entered here will appear on all future bookings for that dog, ensuring that every staff member who handles the dog is aware of relevant history.
Examples:
- "Assign a kennel that does not have a direct view of other pets"
- "Resource guards food bowls — feed in separate area"
- "History of reactivity to large black dogs — manage group accordingly"
- "Previous scratch from play — monitor right ear area"
6. Record Retention
All incident reports are retained on ProPet for a minimum of 5 years. They form part of the welfare and compliance documentation that may be reviewed by the licensing authority during inspections. Incident data is also reviewed quarterly by management to identify trends and areas for improvement.
7. Confidentiality
Incident reports contain sensitive information about dogs, owners, and staff. Reports must not be shared with anyone outside of Eddie's management team, except where required by law, the licensing authority, or insurance providers.
Authorised By
Edward Kirwan — Owner & Company Director, Eddie's Doggy Daycare Limited Document Ref: EDDC-POL-020
Read and understood — staff name & signature
Date