What do I need to report under RIDDOR?

You only need to report accidents that are work-related and there are 7 categories of injury, diseases and dangerous occurrences:

1. Deaths
2. Specified injuries (this replaces the previous list of major injuries)
3. Injuries that last over 7 days
4. Non-fatal accidents to members of the public
5. Occupation Diseases
6. Dangerous occurrences
7. Gas incidents

Deaths

You need to report all deaths that happen at work or in connection with work. This includes deaths that don’t happen straight away, for example if an employee has a reportable injury at work, which is then the cause of death later on i.e. in 3 months’ time.

Fatalities to workers that are reported under RIDDOR must be made using the quickest practical means.  For fatal accidents or accidents resulting in specified injuries to workers only, you can phone 0345 300 9923. Instructions will be provided from the HSE as to how to proceed but will most likely result in an instruction to leave the scene undisturbed if an HSE or Local Authority Inspector is attending.

Specified injuries

These are major, non-fatal injuries at work that also need to be reported.

For example:

• a bone fracture (not including fingers and toes)
• amputations
• injuries that result in permanent blinding or a reduction in eye-sight
• a crush injury relating to the head or torso
• a burn or scalding injury that covers 10% of the body or causes significant damage to the eyes or other vital organs
• Any scalping injury (where the skin has been separated from the head)
• Loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
• Any injury arising from working in an enclosed space which leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Injuries that last over 7 days

You need to report under RIDDOR any injury that means the injured person is unable to work or carry out their normal job to their full ability for 7 consecutive days – this shouldn’t include the day the accident happened. Injuries that last over 3 days should be recorded in an accident book but does not need to be reported under RIDDOR.

Non-fatal accidents to members of the public

If a member of the public is injured in your workplace and need hospital treatment for that injury, you’ll need to report this.

Occupation Diseases

There is a list of occupation diseases that you should report if they have been caused by work or made worse by it. We haven’t listed them all but some examples are:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Severe cramp in the hand or forearm
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome
• Occupational asthma
• Occupational cancer such as Mesothelioma

You can read the fill list here

Dangerous occurrences

This refers to ‘near misses’ that could have caused harm and there’s a long list of reportable occurrences such as:

• Collapse of machinery or structures
• Explosions or bursting of pipework
• Electrical fires

You can read the fill list here

Gas incidents

Certain gas incidents need to be reported under RIDDOR, if you’re a distributor, filler, importer or supplier of gas and someone has died, lost consciousness, or been taken to hospital for treatment with the gas you’re responsible, you need to report this.

Use our RIDDOR reporting flow chart

If you’re not sure if you need to report under RIDDOR, download our RIDDOR reporting flowchart or see below.

I need help with RIDDOR

With Primed Premium we’ll support your business from day one, but even with all the correct policies and procedures in place, sometimes accidents do happen. Our expert health and safety team will support you with up to three RIDDOR reportable accidents over a year and provide an initial and annual audit, assessing your current approach and identify improvements that can be made.