Safety incident investigation report redaction is the removal of personal data from a root-cause write-up an employer prepares under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, often alongside a RIDDOR 2013 report. anonym.plus marks each name and detail on your device, so the lessons stay clear while people are shielded.
When this applies
A root-cause write-up names the affected worker, witnesses, and supervisors. You trim those identifiers before the findings go to the wider crew for learning.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the write-up in anonym.plus on your device.
- Local OCR reads scanned interview notes.
- The tool flags workers, witnesses, and supervisors.
- Keep the cause findings and corrective actions.
- Swap or black out the confirmed items.
- Save the clean version locally.
What you need to provide
- The root-cause write-up (PDF, DOCX, or scan).
- An operator (Replace keeps the findings readable).
- Optional alias map to track repeat roles.
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Nadia Roth → [WORKER] |
| Health | MEDICAL_CONDITION | head injury → [CONDITION] |
| Names | PERSON | witness Park → [WITNESS] |
| Names | PERSON | supervisor Hale → [SUPERVISOR] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | event 22/05/2026 → [DATE] |
| Location | LOCATION | loading dock → [AREA] |
Compliance achieved
- Feeds the review the law expects: the risk assessment under MHSWR 1999 reg. 3, the Management Regulations, and the arrangements for planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review in reg. 5, behind the general duties in HSWA 1974 s.2(1) and s.3(1).
- Assumes the write-up is disclosable rather than privileged: in Waugh v British Railways Board [1980] AC 521 an internal accident report prepared for the dual purpose of safety and litigation was not protected, so control the identifiers instead of relying on privilege.
- Protects the people who spoke up: detriment for raising a hazard concern is actionable under ERA 1996 s.44, dismissal on those grounds is automatically unfair under s.100, and a disclosure that a person is being endangered at work is protected by s.43B(1)(d).
- Keeps a released copy inside UK GDPR Art. 15(4), which stops a subject access copy adversely affecting the rights of others. Offline work keeps the write-up on your machine.
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Limitations & cautions
A detailed account can name a person through a unique role or task. The tool flags named items, yet narrative clues may remain. Read the findings before wide release.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share lessons without naming the worker?
Yes. Replace each name with a role label so the cause and fix stay clear while the people behind them are shielded. That matters because such a report is usually disclosable rather than privileged (Waugh v British Railways Board [1980] AC 521), and because ERA 1996 s.44 protects a worker from detriment for raising a hazard concern.
Are interview notes scanned too?
Yes. Local OCR reads scanned notes, so identifiers in them are flagged like any other.
Is the report uploaded?
No. The app is fully offline, so the write-up stays on your device.