RIDDOR Reporting: What Employers Must Report to HSE and When

RIDDOR reporting is one of those health and safety duties that most employers know exists but few feel confident about. When someone is hurt at work, you need to decide quickly: does this go to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or does it just go in the accident book? This guide sets out what must be reported under RIDDOR, the exact thresholds that trigger a report, and the RIDDOR deadlines you need to meet. If you run a care or healthcare service, our guide to RIDDOR reporting for care and healthcare settings covers sector-specific examples.

Where this applies: RIDDOR is Great Britain's reporting regime, and HSE is the regulator that publishes the guidance used here. RIDDOR does not apply in the Republic of Ireland, which has its own separate system.

What RIDDOR is and who has to report

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. According to HSE, it is the law that requires employers, and other people in charge of work premises, to report and keep records of:

• work-related deaths
• work-related injuries
• diagnosed cases of certain reportable occupational diseases
• certain dangerous occurrences, which are incidents with the potential to cause harm

The duty sits with the responsible person. HSE lists this as employers (in relation to their workers), some self-employed people, and those in control of work premises when a reportable work-related accident or event has occurred.

Some people should not use the reporting system: an injured person (unless they are self-employed), a member of the public, and others who do not have RIDDOR duties. If you are a worker or a member of the public with a concern about workplace safety, HSE has a separate route for raising it.

Reports go to the enforcing authority, which is either HSE or the local authority, so they can respond and check that health and safety law is being followed.

When is an accident reportable?

Not every accident needs a report. HSE says a RIDDOR report is only required when the accident is work-related and it results in a reportable injury.

What counts as an accident

Under RIDDOR an accident is a separate, identifiable, unintended incident that causes physical injury. HSE says this specifically includes acts of non-consensual violence to people at work. Two points catch people out:

• An injury on its own, such as "feeling a sharp pain", is not an accident. There must be an identifiable external event, such as a falling object striking someone.
• Gradual, cumulative harm, such as from repetitive lifting, is not classed as an accident under RIDDOR. (Long-term strain can still matter for other reasons. Our guide to DSE assessor training and workstation assessments covers how to manage it.)

What counts as work-related

The accident must arise "out of or in connection with work". Blame is not part of the test, so an accident can be reportable even if no one breached health and safety law. HSE is also clear that an accident happening at work premises does not, by itself, make it work-related: the work activity itself must have played a role. HSE says an accident is work-related if any of these played a role:

• how the work was carried out, including how it was organised, supervised or performed
• machinery, plant, substances or equipment used in connection with the workplace
• the condition of the workplace, such as its structure, floors, stairs or lighting

RIDDOR reportable injuries

HSE lists four categories of reportable injury when they result from a work-related accident.

1. Deaths

The death of any person must be reported if it resulted from a work-related accident, with the exception of suicides. If a person suffers a reportable work-related injury and dies because of that injury within one year (365 days), this must also be reported as a work-related fatality.

2. Specified injuries to workers

Regulation 4 of RIDDOR lists "specified injuries". HSE's list is:

• fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
• amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
• any injury likely to cause permanent blinding or reduction in sight in one or both eyes
• any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs in the chest or abdomen
• serious burns (including scalding) that cover more than 10% of the body, or cause significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
• any scalping requiring hospital treatment
• any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
• any other injury from working in an enclosed space that leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or that requires resuscitation or admission to hospital for more than 24 hours

Some practical points from HSE's guidance on specified injuries:

• A fracture is reportable when it is diagnosed or confirmed by a doctor, including where it is stated on a GP fit note. Self-diagnosed "suspected fractures" are not reportable.
• If the full extent of an injury is not yet known, there is no requirement to make a precautionary report. Notify or update the enforcing authority as soon as a specified injury has been confirmed.

3. Over-7-day injuries to workers

An accident is reportable if it leaves an employee (or self-employed person) away from work, or unable to do their normal duties, for more than 7 consecutive days because of the injury. The count does not include the day of the accident, but it does include weekends and rest days, even days the person would not normally have worked. If the injury only becomes apparent some time after the accident, it is reportable as soon as it has prevented normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days.

4. Injuries to people who are not workers

Accidents to customers, visitors, volunteers and other non-workers must be reported if they involve work activity, result in an injury, and the person is taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment. HSE says examinations and diagnostic tests such as X-rays do not count as treatment, but a dressing, stitches, a plaster cast or surgery do. You do not need to report people taken to hospital purely as a precaution when no injury is apparent. If the accident happens at a hospital, the responsible person at the hospital only needs to report it if there is a specified injury.

Injuries you record but do not report

Where a worker is away from work, or unable to do their normal duties, for more than 3 consecutive days, HSE says you must record the accident but do not need to report it to HSE. Recording it in your accident book (under social security law) is enough. If the absence continues beyond 7 consecutive days, the over-7-day reporting rule takes over.

Reportable occupational diseases

Employers must report diagnoses of certain occupational diseases where the condition is likely to have been caused or made worse by work. A doctor must diagnose the disease, and for employees the diagnosis must be provided in writing to the employer. HSE lists these conditions, each tied to a specific kind of work exposure:

• carpal tunnel syndrome (regular use of hand-held percussive or vibrating power tools; typing does not make it reportable)
• cramp of the hand or forearm (prolonged repetitive movement of the fingers, hand or arm)
• occupational dermatitis (significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitiser or irritant)
• hand-arm vibration syndrome
• occupational asthma (significant or regular exposure to a known respiratory sensitiser)
• tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm (physically demanding work with frequent, repetitive movements)

HSE also requires reports of occupational cancers where there is an established causal link with work exposure, for example mesothelioma or lung cancer in someone exposed to asbestos, and of diseases caused by occupational exposure to a biological agent.

Dangerous occurrences

A dangerous occurrence is a specific type of incident with a high potential to cause death or serious injury, even if nobody is hurt. They are listed in Schedule 2 of RIDDOR, and HSE says reporting them does not require complex analysis: it is about making a reasonable judgement on whether the incident caused a real risk of harm. Examples from the Schedule that apply at most workplaces include:

• the collapse, overturning or failure of a load-bearing part of lifting equipment
• plant or equipment unintentionally touching an uninsulated overhead electric line above 200 volts, or coming close enough to cause an electrical discharge
• an explosion or fire caused by an electrical short circuit or overload that stops the plant for more than 24 hours, or causes a significant risk of death
• the collapse of a substantial part of a scaffold more than 5 metres high
• a sudden, uncontrolled release of flammable liquid or gas above set quantities, for example 100 kilograms or more of a flammable liquid, or 10 kilograms or more of a flammable gas, inside a building

The Schedule also covers fires, explosions, hazardous escapes of substances and sector-specific events, so check HSE's dangerous occurrences page before deciding that a near miss does not qualify. Fire incidents are a good reminder to keep your fire safety training and procedures up to date.

RIDDOR deadlines

HSE's guidance on when to report sets three timings. The deadline runs from the date of the incident or, for diseases, the date you receive the diagnosis.

How to make a RIDDOR report

The quickest route is online. HSE provides separate forms for an injury, a dangerous occurrence, a case of disease, a flammable gas incident and a dangerous gas fitting. When you submit, you can download a copy for your records. HSE advises reading the relevant guidance first to choose the right form.

• By phone: for fatal accidents and specified injuries to workers only, you can phone 0345 300 9923. All other incidents go through the online form.
• Out of hours: HSE and local authority officers are not an emergency service. For less serious incidents out of normal working hours, complete the online form.

Common RIDDOR mistakes

• Assuming any accident at work is reportable. Both tests must be met: the accident is work-related, and it causes a reportable injury or event.
• Reporting precautionary hospital visits. A non-worker taken to hospital just as a precaution, with no apparent injury, is not reportable.
• Counting the wrong days. The over-7-day count excludes the accident day but includes weekends and rest days.

A few worked examples

• Warehouse: a picker falls from a loading dock and a doctor confirms a broken wrist. This is a fracture other than to a finger, thumb or toe, so it is a specified injury and should be reported without delay.
• Shop: a customer slips on a wet floor that was not cleaned up after a spill, and is taken straight from the scene to hospital for stitches. This involves work activity and hospital treatment, so it is reportable.
• Office: an employee sprains an ankle at a desk and is off for five days. This is not reportable, but should be recorded in the accident book because it is more than 3 days.

These are simple illustrations. Real cases turn on the exact facts, so check them against HSE's guidance.

Keeping your team confident on RIDDOR

A practical step is to name the person who decides whether an incident is reportable, and give managers a one-page summary of the categories and RIDDOR deadlines above. If you also operate in the Republic of Ireland, that is a different regime: see our guide to accident and dangerous occurrence reporting under the Republic of Ireland's regime.

For HSE's own guidance, start with its RIDDOR pages.

Important note

This article is general information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice. RIDDOR guidance and forms can change, so always check HSE's current guidance and, for complex or serious incidents, take professional advice before deciding whether to report.