What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR is a set of regulations in the UK that requires businesses to report work-related accidents, injuries, diseases, and dangerous incidents. It helps improve workplace safety by ensuring that incidents are reported and investigated. RIDDOR applies to various industries and aims to collect data to prevent future accidents and promote safer working environments.
Accident report books and reporting to the HSE
An accident report book is a record-keeping tool maintained by businesses or organizations to document and track workplace accidents, injuries, and near-miss incidents that occur on their premises. It serves as an internal record for the organization and helps track trends, identify hazards, and implement corrective measures.
Legal Consequences
What’s the difference?
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Risks are the potential consequences or likelihood of harm occurring due to exposure to hazards. Risk assessment involves evaluating the probability and severity of harm that could result from a specific hazard. It helps in prioritizing actions and implementing appropriate control measures to mitigate or eliminate the risks associated with identified hazards.
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Hazards refer to potential sources or situations that have the ability to cause harm or injury in the workplace. Hazards can manifest in various forms, such as physical hazards (e.g., machinery, chemicals), biological hazards (e.g., viruses, bacteria), ergonomic hazards (e.g., repetitive tasks, poor ergonomics) Identifying and assessing hazards is crucial for understanding the potential dangers present in the work environment.
How do we report to the HSE?
So you unfortunately find yourself in the situation where you need to report an incident to the HSE. How do you actually go about it?
Key points
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RIDDOR requires businesses and individuals to report specific work-related incidents, including accidents, injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences.
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The regulation covers a wide range of incidents, such as fatal accidents, serious injuries, cases of work-related diseases, and dangerous occurrences that could have led to significant harm.
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Incidents subject to RIDDOR must be reported promptly, usually within specified time frames, to the appropriate enforcing authority.
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RIDDOR facilitates the collection of data and statistics on work-related incidents, enabling authorities to identify patterns, assess risks, and implement measures to prevent future accidents.
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The ultimate goal of RIDDOR is to improve workplace safety by ensuring incidents are properly reported, investigated, and measures are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Reporting to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a legal requirement under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) in the United Kingdom. RIDDOR mandates the reporting of specific work-related incidents, including serious accidents, injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences, to the HSE.
What must be reported to the HSE?
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), the following incidents must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK:
It is also worth noting that only injuries that take place in the workplace can be recorded. what counts as a workplace depends on what the nature of the work is. Members of the public that interact with workplaces and injured may be reported as well.
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Any work-related accidents that result in the death of a worker must be reported without delay.
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If an employee or self-employed person suffers a major injury, such as fractures, amputations, burns, loss of consciousness, or any injury that requires hospitalization for more than 24 hours, it must be reported.
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Work-related accidents that lead to an employee or self-employed person being unable to work for more than seven consecutive days as a result of their injury (excluding the day of the incident) must be reported.
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Cases of work-related diseases, including conditions such as occupational asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational cancer, or any other illness caused or worsened by workplace activities, must be reported if they meet specific criteria.
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Certain dangerous occurrences, defined as specific types of near-miss incidents, must be reported. Examples include the collapse of lifting equipment, explosion or fire causing significant damage or injury, the accidental release of a hazardous substance, and others.
What Happens if we don’t report to the HSE?
Non-compliance with the reporting obligations under RIDDOR is a breach of the law. Organizations that fail to report incidents to the HSE may face legal consequences, including penalties, fines, or legal action. The severity of the legal consequences can vary depending on the nature of the incident and the extent of non-compliance.
Reputational Damage
Non-compliance with health and safety regulations, including incident reporting, can result in significant reputational damage for organizations. Negative publicity, loss of trust from employees, clients, and the public, and damage to the organization's brand image are some potential consequences that can have long-lasting effects.
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Collect all necessary information about the incident, including the date, time, and location of the incident, details of the individuals involved (such as names and job titles), a description of what happened, and any relevant supporting documentation or evidence.
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Identify the type of incident you need to report based on the criteria outlined in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Determine if it falls under the categories of fatalities, major injuries, over-7-day injuries, work-related diseases, or dangerous occurrences.
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The most common method of reporting incidents to the HSE is through their online reporting system. Visit the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk/riddor) and access the "Report an incident" section. Follow the instructions provided and complete the necessary fields in the online form.
In certain situations, it may be appropriate to report an incident by phone. You can call the HSE's Incident Contact Centre at 0300 003 1647 to report the incident verbally. This option is available for reporting fatal and major incidents.
Regulatory Intervention
The HSE has the authority to intervene in workplaces that fail to comply with health and safety regulations, including incident reporting requirements. Non-compliance may lead to increased regulatory scrutiny, inspections, and enforcement actions, such as improvement notices, prohibition notices, or prosecutions.
Increased Risks to Workers
Neglecting incident reporting may perpetuate a culture where safety concerns are not adequately addressed. This can result in increased risks to workers, as hazards and risks may go unnoticed or unaddressed, potentially leading to more incidents and injuries.
Activities
Firstly, I recommend you fill out the word document that follows this web page and hold all the key infomaiton on RIDDOR
Here is a link to a report form and some examples of accidents. Have a go at filling the form out in relation to one of these incidents
The HSE website gives some examples of injuries. I’ve put them into an online quiz that you can have a go at.