Accident Reporting

What is RIDDOR '95?

RIDDOR '95 means the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, which came into force on 1 April 1996.

RIDDOR '95 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities, but not to all incidents.

Why should I report?

Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement. The information enables the enforcing authorities to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. The enforcing authorities can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss - much of which is uninsurable.

Do the Regulations affect me?

If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under the Regulations.

What do I need to do?

Not very much! - For most businesses a reportable accident, dangerous occurrence or case of disease is a comparatively rare event.

When do I need to act?

You need to report:

deaths
major injuries
accidents resulting in 3 days off work
diseases
dangerous occurrences

Death or major injury

If there is an accident connected with work and your employee, or a self-employed person working on your premises is killed or suffers a major injury (including as a result of physical violence); or a member of the public is killed or taken to hospital; you must notify the enforcing authority without delay. You can either telephone 01638 719284.

Reportable major injuries are:

fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes;
amputation;
dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine;
loss of sight (temporary or permanent);
chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye;
injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
any other injury: leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
unconsciousness caused by asphyxia or exposure to harmful substance or biological agent;
acute illness requiring medical treatment, or loss of consciousness arising from absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin;
acute illness requiring medical treatment where there is reason to believe that this resulted from exposure to a biological agent or its toxins or infected material.

Over-three-day injury

If there is an accident connected with work (including an act of physical violence) and your employee, or a self-employed person working on your premises, suffers an over-three-day injury you must report it to the enforcing authority within ten days.

An over-three-day injury is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do their normal work for more than three days (including any days they would not normally be expected to work such as weekends, rest days or holidays) not counting the day of the injury itself.

Disease

If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease then you must report it to the enforcing authority.

Reportable diseases include:

certain poisonings;
some skin diseases such as occupational dermatitis, skin cancer, chrome ulcer, oil folliculitis/acne;
lung diseases including: occupational asthma, farmer's lung, pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, mesothelioma;
infections such as: leptospirosis; hepatitis; tuberculosis; anthrax; legionellosis and tetanus;
other conditions such as: occupational cancer; certain musculoskeletal disorders; decompression illness and hand-arm
vibration syndrome.

Dangerous Occurrence

If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury, but which clearly could have done, then it may be a dangerous occurrence which must be reported immediately.

Reportable dangerous occurrences include:

collapse, overturning or failure of load
bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment;
explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel or associated pipework;
failure of any freight container in any of its load-bearing parts;
plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines;
electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion;
any unintentional explosion, misfire, failure of demolition to cause the intended collapse, projection of material beyond a site boundary, injury caused by an explosion;
accidental release of a biological agent likely to cause severe human illness;
failure of industrial radiography or irradiation equipment to de-energise or return to its safe position after the intended exposure period;
malfunction of breathing apparatus while in use or during testing immediately before use;
failure or endangering of diving equipment, the trapping of a diver, an explosion near a diver, or an uncontrolled ascent;
collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over five metres high, or erected near water where there could be a risk of drowning after a fall;
unintended collision of a train with any vehicle;
dangerous occurrence at a well (other than a water well);
dangerous occurrence at a pipeline;
failure of any load-bearing fairground equipment, or derailment or unintended collision of cars or trains;
a road tanker carrying a dangerous substance overturns, suffers serious damage, catches fire or the substance is released;
a dangerous substance being conveyed by road is involved in a fire or released;

The following dangerous occurrences are reportable except in relation to offshore workplaces;

unintended collapse of: any building or structure under construction, alteration or demolition where over five tonnes of material falls; a wall or floor in a place of work; any false-work;
explosion or fire causing suspension of normal work for over 24 hours;
sudden, uncontrolled release in a building of: 100 kg or more of flammable liquid; 10 kg of flammable liquid above its boiling point;
10 kg or more of flammable gas; or of 500 kg of these substances if the release is in the open air;
accidental release of any substance which may damage health.

Note: additional categories of dangerous occurrences apply to mines, quarries, relevant transport systems (railways etc) and offshore workplaces

I'm self-employed. What do I need to do?

If you are working in someone else's premises and suffer either a major injury or an injury which means you cannot do your normal work for more than three days, then they will be responsible for reporting, so, where possible, you should make sure they know about it.

If you or a member of the public is injured while you are working on your own premises, if there is a dangerous occurrence there, or if a doctor tells you you have a work-related disease or condition, then you need to report it.

However, as a self-employed person you don't need to notify immediately if you suffer a major injury on your own premises. Either you or someone acting for you should report it within 10 days.

Who do I report to?

All accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences may be reported to the Incident Contact Centre. The Contact Centre was established on 1st April 2001 as a single point of contact for receiving all incidents in the UK.

You can report incidents by any of the following routes:

Telephone - 0845 3009923

Internet - by completing the relevant form at www.riddor.gov.uk

Form - by completing the relevant hard copy form and sending:

By Facsimile - 0845 3009924

By post to:   Incident Contact Centre
                      Caerphilly Business Park
                      Caerphilly
                      CF83 3GG

The Incident Contact Centre will forward details of incidents to the relevant enforcing authority, which is the Environmental Services Department of your local authority if your business is:

office-based;
Retail or wholesale;
warehousing;
hotel and catering;
sports or leisure;
residential accommodation, excluding nursing homes,
concerned with places of worship
pre-school child care
mobile vending

For all other types of business it will be the area office of the Health and Safety Executive.

Keeping Records

You must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. This must include the date and method of reporting; the date, time and place of the event, personal details of those involved and a brief description of the nature of the event or disease. You can keep the record in any form you wish.

Guidance on keeping records

You could, for example, choose to keep your records by:

keeping copies of report forms in a file;
recording the details on a computer;
maintaining a written log.

If you choose to report the incident by telephone or through this web site, the Incident Contact Centre will post you a copy of the record held within the database. You will be able to request amendments to the record if you feel the report is not fully accurate.