In this guide
Paperwork should never delay emergency care or reporting. The City workers compensation guide, checked October 2, 2026, directs employees to seek emergency care when needed and report work-related injury or illness promptly to the supervisor and the responsible office. It also lists employee groups and organizations that use other routes.
Use the current official instructions for your actual employer and role. This article offers a recordkeeping method only. It does not determine whether an incident is compensable, recommend treatment, assign fault, or provide legal advice.
Record observations while keeping uncertainty visible
When you can do so safely, note the date, approximate time if necessary, location, and task underway. Describe what you directly observed. If you do not know a detail, mark it unknown rather than reconstructing it with confidence.
Separate a description of events from later communications. An incident note and a call with an administrator serve different purposes. If you add information later, date the addition instead of silently rewriting the original account.
Use the official reporting route
A personal log does not replace an official report. Locate the current form through the official guide and ask the appropriate departmental contact about completing and submitting it. Do not wait to build a perfect file before following reporting instructions.
Keep a copy or submission reference as permitted, along with the date and recipient. If someone assists with the paperwork, record which parts are their observations and which information you supplied. Avoid including other employees’ private details beyond what the official process requests.
Information-log checklist
- Incident facts recorded without conclusions about fault or eligibility
- Correct reporting office and current form identified
- Submission date, method, and acknowledgment preserved
- Requests for further records tracked separately
- Work-status and return-related instructions attributed to their source
Keep supporting health information in the designated process. A supervisor’s operational update does not need to become a distribution list for clinical records. If an administrator requests documentation, confirm what is needed and where it should go.
A hypothetical follow-up gap
Suppose an employee has submitted a report but cannot tell whether an additional document reached the appropriate office. The employee’s log shows the original submission, the later request, and the method used to respond.
The employee asks about that specific handoff, citing the reference if one was provided. They do not submit a different account of the incident merely to draw attention to the file. The example illustrates tracking, not claim handling advice or a prediction of benefits.
Track administrative questions in separate lanes
Questions about a report, time reporting, pay, or a return arrangement may have different owners. Write one line for each question and identify who has been asked. A response about documentation does not necessarily resolve a payroll discrepancy.
If you need to frame a paycheck question, see the two-period deduction comparison. For a possible work-duty adjustment, the accommodation preparation guide explains how to describe tasks and barriers without reaching a medical conclusion.
Preserve the distinction between receipt and determination
An acknowledgment shows that something arrived. It does not by itself establish approval or an entitlement. Keep the official response, its date, and any next instruction together. If you are represented in the matter, follow the applicable communication arrangements rather than treating this checklist as a reason to bypass them.
A useful log is concise, chronological, and factual. Its job is to make the next legitimate administrative conversation easier, not to substitute for professional care or the responsible decision-maker.
Related reading: Frame a payroll deduction question with a two-period comparison, Describe the work barrier before assembling accommodation paperwork.