what is an incident

An incident is an event that has occurred, which can be either unpleasant or unusual. In the context of occupational safety and health, an incident is always a safety or health event with unwanted consequences, while an accident is a type of incident that typically implies a much more serious outcome. An accident is an event that has unintentionally happened, that results in damage, injury, or harm. On the other hand, an incident is an event that has unintentionally happened, but this may not result in damage, harm, or injury. Therefore, every accident can be an incident, but not all incidents can be termed as an accident. A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, damage, or illness, but could have done so.