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INCIDENT REPORTING FORM - CASCADING DROPDOWNS
User Documentation
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📋 FILE: Incident_Report_Form_Cascading_Dropdowns.xlsx
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🎯 OVERVIEW
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This Excel form features 3-level cascading dropdown lists that dynamically
populate based on your selections. The form ensures accurate incident
classification and reduces data entry errors.
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🔄 HOW CASCADING DROPDOWNS WORK
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LEVEL 1: INCIDENT CATEGORY (Cell B4)
├─ Outage
├─ Health & Safety
├─ Environment
├─ Process Safety
├─ Security
├─ Cyber Security
└─ Near Miss
⬇️ (Automatically populates Level 2)
LEVEL 2: INCIDENT TYPE (Cell B5)
└─ Shows only relevant types for selected category
⬇️ (Automatically populates Level 3)
LEVEL 3: SUBCATEGORY (Cell B6)
└─ Shows only relevant subcategories for selected type
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📊 COMPLETE CLASSIFICATION STRUCTURE
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1 HEALTH & SAFETY
1️⃣
├─ Occupational Injury/Illness
│ ├─ Fatality
│ ├─ PPD
│ ├─ PTD
│ ├─ Lost Time Injury
│ ├─ Restricted Work Case
│ ├─ Medical Treatment
│ └─ First Aid
│
├─ Fire/Explosion
│ ├─ Fire
│ ├─ Explosion
│ ├─ Smoldering
│ ├─ Charring
│ ├─ Smoke
│ ├─ Scorching
│ └─ Carbonizing
│
└─ Asset Damage
├─ Material
├─ Pipe Break/Cable Damage
├─ Equipment
└─ Vehicles
2️⃣ OUTAGE
└─ Outage
├─ Asset Damage
├─ Loss Production
├─ Loss of Power Supply
├─ Loss of Water Supply
├─ Loss of Gas Supply
├─ Loss of Fuel Supply
├─ Unit Upset/Trip
├─ Equipment Failure
├─ FPS Failure
└─ Pipe Break/Cable Damage (3rd Party Contractor)
3️⃣ ENVIRONMENT
└─ Environment
├─ Land
├─ Air
├─ Water
├─ Noise
└─ Loss of Containment
4️⃣ PROCESS SAFETY
└─ Process Safety
├─ Release of Flammable Gas
├─ Explosion/Fire from Process Deviation
├─ Release of Hazardous Chemical
├─ Release of Hazardous Waste
└─ Release of Media (steam, hot water, nitrogen,
compressed CO2, compressed air)
5️⃣ SECURITY
└─ Security
├─ Theft
├─ Destruction
├─ Violence Against/Between Staff
├─ Unauthorized Access
├─ Suspicious Equipment (Drones)
└─ Terrorism
6️⃣ CYBER SECURITY
└─ Cyber Security
├─ Malware Attack
├─ Phishing
└─ Firmware Attack
7️⃣ NEAR MISS
└─ Near Miss
└─ Near Miss
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📝 USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
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STEP 1: Open the Excel file
- Compatible with Microsoft Excel 2016+, Excel Online, and Google Sheets
STEP 2: Select Incident Category (Cell B4)
- Click on the cell to see dropdown arrow
- Choose from 7 main categories
STEP 3: Select Incident Type (Cell B5)
- Dropdown automatically populates with relevant options
- Options are filtered based on your Category selection
STEP 4: Select Subcategory (Cell B6)
- Dropdown automatically shows specific subcategories
- Only displays options relevant to your Type selection
STEP 5: Complete Additional Fields
- Incident Date & Time
- Location
- Description (large text area)
- Immediate Actions Taken (large text area)
- Reporter Name
- Reporter Contact
- Department
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⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTES
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✓ Always complete selections in order: Category → Type → Subcategory
✓ Dropdowns only populate AFTER the previous level is selected
✓ If you change your Category selection, you must re-select Type and
Subcategory
✓ The "Data" sheet contains all lookup values and is hidden - do not
unhide or modify it
✓ All dropdown values are controlled - no manual typing needed
✓ Required fields are marked with asterisk (*)
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🔧 TECHNICAL DETAILS
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Implementation Method:
- Named Ranges for each category and subcategory
- INDIRECT formulas with SUBSTITUTE functions for dynamic referencing
- Data Validation rules on cells B4, B5, and B6
- Hidden "Data" sheet containing all reference values
Features:
- No macros required (no .xlsm file needed)
- Works with Excel's built-in data validation
- Portable across different Excel versions
- Cloud-compatible (Excel Online, Google Sheets)
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🐛 TROUBLESHOOTING
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ISSUE: Dropdown not appearing
└─ SOLUTION: Ensure you've selected the previous level first
ISSUE: Dropdown shows no options
└─ SOLUTION: Re-select your Category, as formulas may need refresh
ISSUE: Getting error message when selecting
└─ SOLUTION: Make sure you're clicking inside the cell and selecting
from the dropdown arrow (not typing manually)
ISSUE: In Google Sheets, dropdowns not working
└─ SOLUTION: Google Sheets has limited support for INDIRECT with
named ranges. Best results in Microsoft Excel.
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📧 FORM STRUCTURE
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Sheet 1: "Incident Report Form" (Main form - visible)
└─ User-facing form with all input fields and dropdowns
Sheet 2: "Data" (Reference data - hidden)
└─ Contains all dropdown values organized in columns
└─ Includes named ranges for INDIRECT formulas
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✅ SUCCESS INDICATORS
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✓ You can see dropdown arrow when clicking cells B4, B5, B6
✓ Level 2 dropdown appears after selecting Level 1
✓ Level 3 dropdown appears after selecting Level 2
✓ Options in dropdowns change based on previous selections
✓ No error messages when making selections
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Created: November 27, 2025
Version: 1.0
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