What is reportable under RIDDOR?


Employers, the self-employed and anyone in control of work premises must report and record particular categories of work-related accidents and “near misses” under RIDDOR.


Safety reporting was downgraded under the previous coalition government. Most importantly, a requirement to report “over seven-day” injuries replaced “over three-day” injuries. Employers are still under a duty to report injuries to members of the public and to report occupational cancers, diseases attributable to biological agents, hand-arm vibration syndrome, dermatitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, severe cramp of the arm, tendonitis and occupational asthma. Together these account for around 90% of all ill-health RIDDOR reports to the HSE. Even so, the 2013 RIDDOR regulations significantly reduced the number of major injuries requiring an automatic RIDDOR report.


Construction union UCATT has reported that these include:


• an electrical shock leading to unconsciousness, resuscitation or admittance to hospital;


• a temporary loss of eyesight;


• dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine;


• unconsciousness or acute illness caused by a biological agent its toxins or infected material;


• an acute illness requiring medical treatment; and


• loss of consciousness due to absorbing or inhaling a substance.


The requirement to report injuries to members of the public was also downgraded, and now only applies to incidents where “they are taken from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment for that injury.”


In summary, incidents which are reportable under RIDDOR are work-related accidents that include:


• any fatality (Regulation 6);


• specified injuries to workers (Regulation 4);


• injuries to workers which result in their incapacitation for more than seven days (Regulation 4);


• injuries to non-workers which result in them being taken directly to hospital for treatment, or specified injuries to non-workers which occur on hospital premises (Regulation 5);


• occupational diseases (Regulation 8 and 9); and


• dangerous occurrences (Schedule 2 of RIDDOR).


There are also special reporting requirements for gas incidents.


According to the HSE, “stress” is not reportable as an occupational injury, even when accompanied by a medical certificate stating that it is work-related, because it does not relate to a single definable accident.


Injuries must be reported within 15 days (up from 10 days).


A record of all notifiable events under RIDDOR must be kept for three years. Employers are obliged to record over-three-day injuries, even though they are no longer obliged to report them, and they should use this information to review their health and safety procedures.


Acceptable recording arrangements include using the accident book, keeping photocopies of completed forms for reporting purposes in a suitable file, or recording the details of each accident or reportable disease on a computer, as long as the details can be retrieved and printed out easily.