RIDDOR: What Is It and What Must Be Reported?

Every business must comply with health and safety regulations, and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) are among the most important. The rules set out the specific incidents that employers must report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the timeframe in which you must notify them.

It can be challenging to understand RIDDOR if you’re new to management, but we’re about to change that. In this blog post, we’ll discuss RIDDOR, what must be reported, and how to do so.

Let’s dive in.

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Who should be aware of RIDDOR?

RIDDOR is relevant to all businesses, self-employed individuals and those in control of premises. Essentially, anyone with a duty of care for health and safety in the workplace should be aware of RIDDOR and what it entails.

What needs to be reported?

There are four main types of incidents that you should report under RIDDOR:

• Deaths.
• Over-seven-day injuries — where a worker is incapacitated (away from work or unable to perform their normal duties) for more than seven consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident.
• Note: over-three-day injuries (where a worker is incapacitated for more than three consecutive days) do not need to be reported to the HSE — they only need to be recorded in your accident book. This changed in 2012, when the reporting threshold moved from over-three days to over-seven days. Weekends and rest days count towards the seven days, but the day of the accident itself does not.
• Injuries to the public or anyone else that isn’t an employee.
• Dangerous occurrences.
• Industrial diseases that RIDDOR lists.

The regulations changed slightly in 2013, so employers need to understand their new responsibilities. The changes include:

• Only need to report deaths and injuries when they occur due to work-related accidents.
• Following the new industrial diseases categories when making a report.
• Using the shortened list of major injuries to specified injuries
• Reducing the list of dangerous occurrences that you need to report

Reporting requirements

The hardest thing for any business is understanding when they need to file a report with RIDDOR. Luckily, the Health and Safety Executive has a three-step list to decide whether you need to report the accident or injury.

Was the injury caused by a workplace accident?

For example, if an employee damaged their hand due to faulty machinery, this would be a reportable incident. However, you wouldn’t file a report if someone hurt their back when bending down.

Was the injury to an employee while they were at work?

If the employee has a previous back injury, such as a bad knee, and they reinjure it due to walking too quickly or lifting something at work, this doesn’t warrant a RIDDOR report. However, if it’s due to a specific incident in the workplace, you should report it.

If you answered yes to those questions, you might need to make a report. However, you’ll also need to check if the injury is on the report list.

The report list includes:

• Fractures (except to fingers, toes or skull)
• Amputations
• Dislocations of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
• Permanent loss of use of any body part or organ
• Any crush injuries leading to internal organ damage
• Severe burns (covering more than ten percent of the body or causing significant damage to eyesight or breathing)
• Any scalping requiring hospital treatment
• Loss of sight (even temporary)
• Rupture of the eardrum leading to permanent loss of hearing in one or both ears.

These are only a few examples – for a complete list, you should visit the HSE website if you’re unsure whether a particular injury needs a report.

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When should a report be made?

Deadlines depend on the type of incident. Deaths and specified injuries must be reported to the HSE without delay (for example by phone on 0345 300 9923), with a written report received within 10 days of the incident. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the incident, using the appropriate online form. The only time this isn’t necessary is if an inspector visits your workplace because of another matter and becomes aware of a non reportable accident during their visit.

You should keep records for RIDDOR too

While companies with less than ten employees aren’t legally required to keep records of accidents and injuries in the workplace, it’s recommended. These records can help you understand what might have caused an accident and how to stop it from happening again.

It would help if you made a note of:

• The date, time and location of the accident
• A brief description of how the accident happened
• The name, job title and contact details of anyone who witnessed the accident

You should keep your accident records for at least three years after the last accident, but most people keep them longer as a precautionary measure.

How can I make a RIDDOR report?

There are two ways to make a RIDDOR report:

Online – Through the HSE website
By phone – 0345 300 9923

The HSE also only accepts phone calls regarding fatality and specific injuries, but filling in a form is more convenient and means you don’t have to sit for ages in a call centre queue.

When you make a report, you’ll need to give:

• Your name, job title and contact details in case the HSE need to get in touch with you for more information
• The date, time and location of the accident or incident
• A brief description of how the accident happened or what illness was caused.
• The name, job title and contact details of anyone who witnessed the accident.

Preparing your team for RIDDOR reporting

Now that you know what RIDDOR is, you need to make sure your employees are also aware of the reporting process. An effective way to do this is by holding a health and safety meeting.

At the meeting, you should:

• Explain what RIDDOR is and when an incident needs to be reported
• Show them where they can find the online form or give them the phone number for making a report
• Encourage them to speak up if they see any potential hazards in the workplace.
• Tie the reporting process into your wider company emergency plan so everyone knows what to do in a serious incident.
• Let them know they can come to you with any questions or concerns about health and safety in the workplace.

However, you can also send your management team on a First Aid course with Skills Training UK – a company that specialises in providing dynamic and interactive training solutions.

These courses prepare your team for RIDDOR reporting, so everyone knows what to do in the event of an accident or injury.

Learn First Aid Skills Online From Only £14 with Online CPD Academy – click here for further information.

Final Thoughts

RIDDOR is an integral part of health and safety in the workplace. Knowing what needs to be reported can help prevent accidents and injuries from happening in the first place.

If you have any questions or concerns about RIDDOR, or if you would like to learn more about our First Aid courses, please contact us today. We would be more than happy to help you.

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