Reporting incidents (RIDDOR)

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR), requires the reporting of work related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.

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. We can then help and advise you on preventative action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss much of which is uninsurable.

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

What to report

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 (e.g. telephone).

They will ask for brief details about your business, the injured person and the accident and within 10 days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508).

• Incident reporting forms - HSE website

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 send a completed accident report form (F2508) 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 non work days).

• Incident reporting forms - HSE website

Disease

If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work related disease then you must send a completed disease report form (F2508A) to the enforcing authority.

A summary of the reportable diseases is given later.

• Incident reporting forms - HSE website

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 (eg by telephone).

A summary of the reportable dangerous occurrences is given later.

Within 10 days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508).

• Incident reporting forms - HSE website

Self employed people

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 that 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 phone the Incident Contact Centre on 0845 300 99 23.

Who to report to

Incidents should only be reported directly to the council if there has been a fatality, severe major injury or several people have been injured at the same time.

• Phone: 0161 770 2244
• Email: environmentalhealth@oldham.gov.uk

All other incidents should be reported through the Incident Contact Centre.

Incident Contact Centre
Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly, CF83 3GG
Phone: 0845 300 9923 (local rate)
Email: riddor@natbrit.com
RIDDOR website

Record keeping

You must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence.

This must include:

• Date and method of reporting
• Date, time and place of the event
• Personal details of those involved
• Brief description of the nature of the event or disease.

You can keep the record in any form you wish, for example by keeping copies of completed report forms in a file or recording the details on a computer.

Examples of major injuries, dangerous occurrences and diseases

Reportable major injuries

• 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

Reportable dangerous occurrences

• Collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment
• Explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel of 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:

• 100kg or more of flammable liquid
• 10kg of flammable liquid above its boiling point
• 10kg or more of flammable gas
• 500kg of these substances if the release is in the open air

Accidental release of any substance which may damage health

Additional categories of dangerous occurrences apply to mines, quarries, relevant transport systems (railway etc) and offshore workplaces.

Reportable diseases

• Certain poisonings
• Some skin diseases such as:
• Occupational dermatitis
• Skin cancer
• Chrome ulcer
• Old folliculitis/acne
• Lung diseases including:
• Occupational asthma
• Farmer's lung
• Pneumoconiosis
• Asbestosis
• Mesothelioma
• Infections such as:
• Leptospirosis
• Hepatitis
• Tuberculosis
• Anthrax
• Legionellosis
• Tetanus
• Other conditions such as:
• Occupational cancer
• Certain musculoskeletal disorders
• Decompression illness
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome