What is RIDDOR? | Free Accident Form Template
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) is a health and safety legislation which requires people of responsibility to report and keep a record of certain injuries and incidents that happen in the workplace. As an employer or someone in a position of responsibility, it is vital you understand exactly what the law says.
Why is RIDDOR Important?
According to the Labour Force Survey, 604,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury according to self-reports in 2023/24. Employers also reported 61,663 non-fatal injuries to employees. The Health and Safety Executive also reports that:
“It is known that employers substantially under-report these non-fatal injuries: the level of overall employer reporting of RIDDOR defined non-fatal injuries to employees is estimated at around a half.”
It is for this reason that RIDDOR is in place, to ensure everyone is safe in the workplace. This piece of legislation holds employers accountable for negligence or poor health and safety practices. It is this accountability that encourages people to follow health and safety procedures in the workplace, which helps to prevent accidents.
The Health and Safety Executive also benefits from this procedure as they are required to keep a record of work-related incidents. This information helps to pinpoint where and how risks are emerging so they can help to prevent similar occurrences.
Consequences of Ignoring RIDDOR
If employers fail to report incidents, they are breaking the law. For this, the HSE has the power to issue heavy unlimited fines. One of the most well-known cases of this involved Tesco, in 2011. They were fined £34,000 for RIDDOR failures after it admitted not following essential procedures for reporting staff injuries at two of its stores.
Following RIDDOR procedures helps employers ensure that these risks are addressed and minimised as much as possible. This keeps everyone safe in the workplace and ensures that the public image of the business remains positive.
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RIDDOR Explained
Understanding what you should report under RIDDOR can be difficult, but our courses have provided learners with the knowledge needed to effectively report incidents. By law, you must report:
- Workplace deaths (not including suicide).
- Injuries that result in an employee being off work (or unable to complete normal work duties) for seven days consecutively.
- Incidents resulted in members of the public being injured and taken to hospital.
The only exception to the above rules is if a member of the public goes to hospital only as a precaution and they have no reported injuries. These instances do not need to be reported under RIDDOR.
RIDDOR also covers four broad categories of workplace incidents such as:
- Specific injuries.
- Occupational diseases.
- Dangerous occurrences.
- Gas incidents.
Specific Injuries
There are several injuries which are included in this category, which are:
- Fractures.
- Amputations
- Loss of reduction of sight.
- Crush injuries that cause damage to internal organs,
- Serious burns. This is defined as burns that cover more than 10% of the body, damage the eyes or respiratory system or any vital organs.
- Scalpings (when the skin has become separated from the head) which requires treatment in a hospital.
- Unconsciousness brought on by a head injury or asphyxia.
- Any injury that is caused by working in an enclosed space and leads to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or requires resuscitation or hospital treatment longer than 24 hours.
Occupational Diseases
There are a number of diseases that can be exacerbated by work practices. These are known as occupational diseases and must also be reported:
- Severe cramps in the hand or forearm.
- Carpal tunnel.
- Tendonitis of the hand or forearm
Dangerous Occurrences
These are any near-miss incidents that could have caused harm to anyone. This includes but is not limited to:
- Any explosions or fires that resulted in work stopping for over 24 hours.
- Plant or equipment that’s in contact with overhead power lines.
- Any lifting equipment collapsing, overturning etc.
Gas Incidents
Incidents of gas safety have a very high public profile, and it is vital that they are reported and investigated properly. The requirements of RIDDOR ensures this is practised. If you distribute, fill, import or supply flammable gases you must report incidents if someone has died, lost consciousness or been hospitalised due to an injury connected with the gas you were responsible before.
Who Should Report Under RIDDOR?
Reports should only be submitted by the ‘responsible person with duties under RIDDOR, such as:
- Employers (in relation to workers): If you are an employer, you are required to report any injuries to employees wherever they are working.
- Persons in control of work premises: If you are responsible for a work premises, you must report any injuries that occur on your premises.
- Some self-employed people: If you are working in someone else’s work premises, the person in control of the premises will be responsible for reporting, so ensure they know about it. If you are injured on your own premises or in a domestic premises, you need to report it.
Any person with responsibility for recording accidents and incidents should be properly trained on health and safety processes. The IOSH Managing Safely course, below, is an essential certification utilised by organisations looking to effectively report on workplace accidents. It dives into important detail on how to effectively manage health and safety within a team, from writing risk assessments to reporting accidents.
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