Incident Description Vocabulary for Manufacturing Workers

If something happens on the line — a part gets dropped, someone slips, liquid spills — you need to explain what happened, not just what's happening. That means you need past-tense verbs. This vocabulary covers the verbs used most often to describe an incident that already took place.

Incidents Involving Objects

• dropped — "I dropped the part."
• spilled — "He spilled some oil on the floor."
• broke — "The tool broke."
• caught — "My glove caught on the machine."

Incidents Involving People

• fell — "She fell near the entrance."
• slipped — "He slipped on the wet floor."
• tripped — "I tripped over a cable."
• hit — "His hand hit the machine."
• cut — "She cut her finger."
• twisted — "He twisted his ankle."
• burned — "He burned his hand on the equipment."

Reporting an Injury

• injured — "No one was injured."

Short report example: "He slipped on the wet floor and twisted his ankle. No one else was injured."

Try the Quiz

These past-tense verbs are essential for describing an incident accurately to a team leader or safety officer. Try the short quiz below to check what stuck.