Posted By sagalout I think it was Churchill who was quoted as saying " I only read the front page of any report". Maybe that is where your manager is coming from? I am a busy manager, I know we have had an accident, I know you have investigated it, I trust your competence, tell me what you are saying we need to do. If I dont recognise why you are saying it, I can look at the detail to find out. It is more important to identify your audience than to stick slavishly to any order of contents. Pete

Posted By Ali You could try HSG 245 "Investigating Accidents & Incidents" produced by the HSE.

Posted By LJS I have just commenced my Diploma and they were telling is us only this Tuesday that the recommendations come at the end of the report...

Posted By sagalout LJS, Remember there is often a difference between what is required for academic study and what is expected by colleagues in the real world. That is not to criticise the academic process rather to recognise that the real world brings its own unique demands tnhat need to be managed. If the managers in an organisation have a style of working then that is the thing to look out for just as much as how you may have been taught to outline a report. Of course for your study you need to follow the lead given by your tutors. Pete

Posted By Chris Packham I have to agree with sagalout. Remember that the purpose of a report to management is to inform and to assist them in taking the appropriate action. They have many pressures on their time, so the simpler and shorter the better. In my training on business management it was drummed into me that what managers are looking for in a report is 1. Purpose (What is this report for and why) 2. Conclusions (What was the outcome of any investigation, pilot project etc.) 3. Recommendations (What are we expected now to do as a result of the conclusions) I the manager then feels he needs to look in greater detail at the events and the reasons for the conclusions these can be at whatever length is necessary, but the initial first three sections should be brief and to the point. I tend to keep the body of the report as pertinent to the particular project as possible, keeping technical background in the appendices (these are often much longer than the actual report). An academic or scientific study is something completely different, produced for a different purpose. Of course, some have an "executive summary" in the form of an abstract. As a busy manager I tend to read the abstract first. This tells me if the main study is something I need to read in depth. Without the abstract, would I have the time to read the whole report? I doubt it. Chris