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 719733.
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.
Further information on RIDDOR '95 can be obtained from:
A Guide to the reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 1995. (L73) ISBN 0-7176-1012-8.
Available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10
6FS
Tel: 01787 881165
Fax: 01787 313995
Telephone enquiries to HSE Infoline - telephone 0870 1545500
Email enquiries to HSE Information Centre:
hseinformationservices@natbrit.com