OVERVIEW
This SOP establishes a standardized process for documenting incidents that occur in grooming salons, mobile grooming units, veterinary grooming departments, boarding/daycare facilities, and other pet care businesses. It explains what qualifies as an incident, how to determine severity, and what actions should be taken after an unexpected or potentially serious event.
The procedure covers securing the pet and area, notifying management, contacting the client when required, considering veterinary care, documenting facts, recording communication, and completing follow-up. It also provides guidance for reviewing incidents afterward to determine whether training, equipment, scheduling, handling, policies, or other procedures should change.
The SOP emphasizes factual documentation rather than guessing or blaming. It provides a consistent framework for recording incidents and using those records to support communication, safety decisions, corrective actions, and future handling requirements.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- How to determine what qualifies as an incident.
- How to use the four-level incident severity matrix.
- How to respond immediately after an incident.
- What information should be documented.
- How to document veterinary care decisions.
- How to document client communication clearly.
- How to use observation-based wording for medical concerns.
- When photos and other evidence may be appropriate.
- How to conduct an after-incident review.
- How to identify and document corrective actions.
- How to complete incident follow-up.
- How to maintain incident-report confidentiality.
- How to avoid common incident-reporting mistakes.
BUSINESS BENEFITS
A consistent incident-reporting process helps the business respond calmly, document facts while they are fresh, communicate clearly with clients, and maintain records of actions taken. It supports review of training, equipment, scheduling, handling, communication, and other factors that may have contributed to an incident. The procedure also helps identify future handling requirements, corrective actions, and follow-up needs while keeping incident documentation confidential and focused on protection and improvement rather than blame.
RECOMMENDED FOR
- Groomers
- Bathers
- Grooming Assistants
- Front Desk Staff
- Salon Owners
- Managers
- Mobile Groomers
- Veterinary Grooming Departments
- Boarding/Daycare Staff
- Training Staff
IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
Use this SOP whenever something unusual, unsafe, unexpected, or potentially serious happens. Staff should first secure the pet and area, notify the manager or owner, and contact the client or veterinarian when required. Document the incident as soon as possible, including known facts, actions, communication, and follow-up. Use the Incident Report Form with this SOP and apply related procedures such as the Injury Response and Client Notification Procedure, Animal Handling and Restraint Procedure, Bite Risk and Warning Sign Procedure, and other referenced handling and release documents. Complete the incident checklist, review corrective actions, and update future handling notes when needed.
