Reporting accidents and injuries (back to resources page)

The regulations for reporting an incident are according to RIDDOR, which stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1995.

RIDDOR ’95 requires the reporting of all work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.

The following need to be reported:

• Deaths

• Major injuries

• Accidents resulting in over 3 days of injury time off

• Diseases

• Dangerous occurrences

• Gas incidents

Deaths
If there is an accident connected with work and an employee, self-employed person or member of the public is killed then you must notify the enforcing authority immediately.

Major injuries
If an employee or self-employed person working on your premises suffers a major injury they you must notify the enforcing authority immediately. This is also the case if a member of the public is taken to hospital following an incident on your premises.

Reportable major injuries are defined as:

• 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 injury leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness

• Any injury requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

• Unconsciousness caused by asphyxia or exposure to harmful substances or biological agents

• An acute illness requiring medical treatment or the loss of consciousness arising from the absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin

• An 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

• Accidents resulting in over 3 days of injury time

If an accident occurs which is related to work (including an act of physical violence) and an employee or self-employed person working on the premises, suffers an injury resulting in over 3 days of injury then you must report it to the enforcing authority within ten days.

An over 3 day injury is one which is not defined as “major” but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do their full range of normal duties for more than 3 days.

Disease
If a doctor notifies you that an employee is suffering 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 and oil folliculities/acne

• Lung diseases including occupational asthma, farmer’s lung, pneumoconiosis, asbestosis and mesothelioma

• Infections such as leptospriosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, legionellosis and tetanus

• Other conditions such as occupational cancer, certain musculoskeletal disorders, decompression illness and hand-arm vibration syndrome

Dangerous occurrences

If an incident occurs 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 are:

• The collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment

• The explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel or associated pipe work

• The failure of any freight container in any of its load-bearing parts

• A plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines

• An 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 or injury caused by an explosion

• The accidental release of a biological agent likely to cause severe human illness

• The failure of industrial radiography or irradiation equipment to de-energise or return to its safe position after the extended exposure period.

• The malfunction of breathing apparatus while in use or during testing immediately after use

• The failure or endangering of diving equipment, the trapping of a diver, an explosion near a diver, or an uncontrolled ascent

• The 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

• The unintended collision of a train with any vehicle

• A dangerous occurrence at a well (other than a water well)

• A dangerous occurrence at a pipeline

• The failure of any load-bearing fairground equipment, or derailment or unintended collision of cars or trains

• If a road tanker carrying a dangerous substance overturns, suffers serious damage, catches fire or the substance is released

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

• The unintended collapse of any building or structure under construction; alteration or demolition where over five tonnes of material falls; a wall or floor in any place of work; any false work

• An explosion or fire causing suspension of normal work for over 24 hours

• The sudden, uncontrolled release in a building of:

  • 100 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

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

Gas incidents
If you are distributor, filler, importer or supplier of flammable gas and you learn, either directly or indirectly that someone has died or suffered a major injury in connection with your gas, then this must be reported immediately.

If you are an installer of gas appliances registered with the Council for Registered Installers (CORGI), you must provide details of any gas appliances of fittings that you consider to be dangerous.

This is where the design, construction, installation, modification or servicing could result in death or major injury through

• An accidental leakage of gas

• Inadequate combustion of gas

• Inadequate removal of products of the combustion of gas

Reporting accidents is clearly regulated and obliges compliance.

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