This paper examines accident‐reporting and information‐processing systems associated with industrial accidents. Detailed analyses were made of semi‐structured interviews with personnel from a number of plants in the steel industry, supplemented by a wider ranging series of discussions in other industries and organizations. Some suggestions are made for dealing with a number of specific problems identified. The major problem revealed is a composite one, its essence being that accident‐reporting systems have not been designed as information systems, but have grown in a relatively unplanned way to meet individual needs and preferences as these arose. Criteria for a more effective accident‐reporting system are proposed.