Build a complete safety workflow in one unified form

In this article, you’ll build a full end-to-end health & safety incident report workflow using one form, not multiple.
Employees submit the incident → supervisors edit the same record → investigators add findings → corrective action owners update closure, all in the same submission.

Everything is driven by:

• An admin-only section
• A Status dropdown
• On Update logic to notify the next person

This workflow mirrors how real H&S teams operate: one single incident file that evolves as new information is added.

📘 Learn more: Getting started with Formaloo

Why this helps

• All data stays in one place, reducing duplication and inconsistencies.
• Supervisors and investigators always work on the same file, no separate forms.
• Admin-only internal fields allow clean separation between employee-facing and internal H&S sections.
• A single Status field drives the entire workflow, keeping it simple and reliable.
• Dashboards and Kanban boards provide instant visibility into each stage of the workflow.

📘 Learn more: Why use workflows in Formaloo

Step 1 – Create your incident report form

You can start from scratch or use a template from our Template Gallery, such as the Incident Report Form.

Include the employee-facing fields:

• Incident date & time
• Location
• What happened (description)
• Injury details
• Witness names
• File uploads (photos, documents)
• Reporter name + email
• Immediate actions taken

💡 Tip: Use Magic Create when building long or detailed forms, it can generate pages and fields automatically.

📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 2 – Add internal admin-only sections for your H&S team

Below the employee-facing fields, add an internal section for your team.
All these fields will be admin-only, meaning they’ll only appear when an admin edits a record.

Common internal fields include:

Supervisor review

• Severity classification
• Initial notes
• Assigned investigator
• Suggested controls

Investigation

• Investigation summary
• Root cause analysis
• Evidence uploads
• Recommendations

Corrective action

• Action required
• Assignee
• Deadline
• Completion notes
• Proof of completion

Status field (the most important field)

Add a dropdown titled Status with values such as:

• New
• Under investigation
• Corrective action required
• Closed

Your entire workflow will revolve around this dropdown.

📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 3 – Allow supervisors and investigators to edit the same record

This workflow uses one form only.

When an incident is submitted:

1. A supervisor opens your H&S app or the Responses tab.
2. They locate the incident record.
3. They click Edit record.
4. Because they are admins, the internal fields and Status field are fully visible.
5. They update severity, add findings, assign investigators, etc.
6. They change Status to move the workflow forward.

No conditional visibility.
No role-based logic.
No separate forms.

📘 Learn more: How to create or edit an app

Step 4 – Use the Status field to drive the workflow

Since all internal fields are admin-only, the only dynamic element you need is Status.

Admins update the Status as they work:

• New → Default answer
• Under investigation → When a supervisor assigns it
• Corrective action required → After investigation
• Closed → When corrective action is completed

This creates a clear, linear workflow without any show/hide logic.

💡 Tip: Place the Status field at the top of the internal section for easy updates.

📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 5 – Automate handoffs with “On Update” logic

Use Advanced Logic → On Update to trigger actions when the Status field changes.

Example rules:

1. When Status changes to “Under investigation”

→ Send an email to the assigned investigator
→ (Optional) Send a Slack message to the safety channel
→ (Optional) Assign the record

2. When Status changes to “Corrective action required”

→ Notify the corrective action assignee
→ Provide a direct link back to the record

3. When Status changes to “Closed”

→ Notify the H&S manager
→ Log the closure in analytics dashboards

📘 Learn more: What is “On Update” logic and how it works

Step 6 – Build dashboards for each stage of the workflow

Inside your app, add multiple views to help your team track incident progress.

Recommended pages or blocks:

Tables

• New Incidents → filter: Status = New
• Under Investigation → filter: Status = Under investigation
• Corrective Actions Needed → filter: Status = Corrective action required
• Closed Incidents → filter: Status = Closed

Kanban board

Group records by Status for an at-a-glance view.

Charts

Visualize:

• Severity levels
• Most common incident locations
• Incident per month

📘 Learn more: Customize tables, Kanban boards, charts, and galleries

💡 Tip: Duplicate the same table and apply different filters for effortless “one-click dashboards.”

Step 7 – Add notifications for your team

Automated notifications ensure that no incident falls through the cracks.

On Submit

Notify the H&S admin that a new incident has been reported.

On Update

Notify the next responsible person based on Status.

Supports:

• Email
• Slack
• Webhooks to internal systems
• Record assignment

📘 Learn more: How to send and receive email notifications

Pro tips

💡 Pro Tip 1 — Add analytics pages for management
Create charts for severity, incident type, and location to identify long-term patterns.
📘 Learn more: Showcase charts based on form responses

💡 Pro Tip 2 — Use portal mode for secure access
If you want separate views for supervisors or investigators, enable portal mode and restrict page access by user roles.
📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access

💡 Pro Tip 3 — Add a final PDF report
Generate a clean incident report PDF containing both employee-facing and admin-only fields.
📘 Learn more: Print responses as PDFs

Real-world example

A distribution center replaced multiple paper forms with this single-form workflow.

After switching to Formaloo:

• Supervisor review time dropped by 40%
• Investigators no longer lose incident context
• Corrective action compliance increased significantly due to automated reminders
• Managers gained real-time insights via dashboards

📈 See more examples: Formaloo use cases

FAQ

1. Can employees see the internal fields?

No. Internal fields are admin-only and only visible in Edit record mode.
❓ Learn more: Form editor basics

2. Do I need role-based visibility?

No. This workflow intentionally avoids it, all admin-only fields are visible to any admin editing a record.
🔒 Learn more: On Update logic

3. How do we notify investigators or corrective action owners?

Use On Update logic, triggered by changes in the Status field.
🛠️ Learn more: Send email notifications

4. Can we track investigations separately?

Yes, generate separate tables and Kanban boards filtered by Status.
📊 Learn more: Customize tables and dashboards

5. Can we attach a PDF summary of the incident?

Yes. You can auto-generate a PDF of each submission for documentation.
📘 Learn more: Print responses as PDFs

Your unified incident workflow is complete

You now have a fully functional H&S workflow built on:

• One form
• Admin-only internal sections
• A single Status field
• On Update automation
• Dashboards for every stage

This gives your H&S team a clean, efficient, and reliable way to track incidents from reporting to closure.

🎉 Learn more: Expand your workflow in Formaloo

Last updated November 2025