What is RIDDOR?
17-02-2006
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The regulations came into force on 1st April 1996.
What do I need to do?
Actual not very much fortunately! You have to register your business with the local authority or enforcement agency. For most businesses a reportable accident, dangerous occurrence or case of disease is a comparatively rare event.
Why do I need to know about RIDDOR?
If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under RIDDOR. RIDDOR requires you to report some work-related accidents, disease and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities.
Why should I report?
Reporting accidents and ill health at work is now a legal requirement. The information enables the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities (which are referred to as enforcing authorities) to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. In turn the enforcing bodies help you to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss too.
When do I need to make a report?
With regards to Death and Major injury:
If this was due to 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)
– A member of the public is killed or taken to hospital
YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY notify the enforcing authority without delay (e.g. by telephone).They will ask for a brief detail about your business, the injured person and the accident and then within ten days you must follow this up with a completed accident report from (F2508)
With regards to Over-a-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 the completed accident form F2508 to the enforcing body within ten days.
An over-a-three day injury is one which is not major but results in an injured person being away from work or unable to do the full range of their normal duties for more than three days (including any days when they wouldn’t normally be expected to work such as weekends, rest days or holidays) not counting the day of the injury itself.
With regards to Disease:
If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease you must send a completed disease report for F2508A to the enforcing authority.
Reportable diseases include
– Certain poisonings
– Some skin diseases such as occupational dramatis, skin cancer, chrome ulcer
– Lung diseases including occupational asthma, farmer’s lunch, pneumoconiosis, mesothelioma and asbestosis
– Infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, tetanus
And other conditions such as certain musculoskeletal disorder, decompression illness and hand/arm vibration syndrome.
With regards to Dangerous Occurrence
If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury, but which clearly could have done, it may be a dangerous occurrence which must be reported immediately by telephone to the enforcing authority.
Reportable Dangerous Occurrences include:
– electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion
– collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over five meters high, or erected near water where the could have been a risk of drowning after a fall.
– plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines
Within ten days you must follow the call up with a completed accident report form (F2508)
I am self-employed in the fashion industry how does this apply to me?
If you are working in someone else’s premises and suffer either a major injury or an injury which means you can not do the full range of your normal work for more than three days, that person will be responsibility for reporting our injury and you can claim accordingly.
If you employee people you have a duty of care to protect your staff and RIDDOR needs to be complied with.
Who do I report to?
Normally it is the environmental health department or your local authority if your business is
– office based
– retail or wholesale
– warehousing
What records do I need to keep?
You must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence for three years after the date on which it happened. 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.
What are reportable Major Injuries, Dangerous Occurrences and Diseases
– fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes
– amputations
– dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
– loss of sight (temporary or permanent)
– injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
For further information contact HSE InfoLine Tel 0541 545500 or write to HSE’s information Centre Broad Lane Sheffield S3 7HQ. www.open.gov.uk/hse/hsehome.htm
Free forms are included in the hand outs for report writing.
There you go!
Jenny Holloway
Industry Advisor
