A Guide to Reporting Accidents and Incidents at Work
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Few people anticipate them, but workplace accidents can happen to anyone anytime and anywhere. The very nature of our species suggests that we are all fallible to some degree. However, this is not to say that all work-related mishaps happen as a result of human error. Several incidents can come about due to the fallibility of machines, lapses in procedure, or just mere coincidence.
Few people anticipate them, but workplace accidents can happen to anyone anytime and anywhere. The very nature of our species suggests that we are all fallible to some degree. However, this is not to say that all work-related mishaps happen as a result of human error. Several incidents can come about due to the fallibility of machines, lapses in procedure, or just mere coincidence.
Whatever the case, if you are an employer of labour or a person tasked with a supervisory role on work premises, you are legally bound to report some of these workplace accidents, illnesses and incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This duty often begets questions like: What workplace accidents are reportable? Who should report them? How does one make a report?
Answers to these questions are detailed in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013, and this quick guide aims to present this info in easily digestible and straightforward terms.
What Are Reportable Accidents or Incidents?
Per the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an accident is an unexpected event causing injury, ill health, loss of property, or damage to plants, animals, or the environment.
Since parliament implemented RIDDOR statutorily in 2013, the regulations have guided the report of the following types of incidents:
- Work-related Fatalities: Death caused by a work accident, be it electrical, machinery, fire, or otherwise. Work-related deaths also include fatalities from occupational diseases, such as mesothelioma or COVID-19, if there is reasonable evidence that they were caused by work exposure.
- Work-related Injuries: Injury sustained by personnel from a work incident that leads to any of the following outcomes:
- Absence of the injured employee from work or their inability to perform their normal work duties for more than seven consecutive days.
- Specified injury, such as a fracture, amputation, loss of sight, serious burn, or crush injury.
- Work-related Diseases: Work-related diseases entail any disease diagnosis linked to exposure from work activity, such as occupational asthma, dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Dangerous Occurrences: Dangerous occurrences are any incident that can potentially lead to serious harm or injury, even if no one is actually hurt. Examples include; explosions, fires, structure collapse, electrical faults, or release of hazardous substances.
- Gas Incidents: As the name implies, this covers all incidents that lead to death, loss of consciousness, or hospital treatment that are caused by gas appliances or fittings
Who Should Report Incidents?
Under RIDDOR regulations, the responsibility of reporting accidents and incidents in an organisation falls on different personnel, depending on the type of incident and the role of the person involved. The following table summarises who should report which type of incidents:
Type of Incident
Who should report
Work-related death or injury of an employee
The employer
Work-related death or injury of a non-worker (such as a member of the public)
The individual in charge of the work premises
Work-related disease of an employee
The employer
Dangerous occurrence at a workplace
The employer or the person in control of the work premises
Gas incident
The gas engineer who installed, serviced or repaired the appliance or fitting
How Do You Report Incidents?
You can report incidents covered under RIDDOR online or by telephone. The online forms for each type of reportable incident are available on the HSE website. The forms are designed in such a way that you’re allowed to submit your report immediately and receive a copy for your records. Alternatively, you can call the HSE Incident Contact Centre.
It is worth noting that there are stipulated time frames for reporting each type of incident, hence you should make your report as soon as possible after the incident occurs and within the following time limits:
Fatal work accidents or specified injuries
Within 10 days
Accidents resulting in more than seven days of incapacity
Within 15 days
Work-related diseases
As soon as you receive a diagnosis
Dangerous occurrences
Within 10 days
Gas incidents
Within 14 days
It would also be beneficial to you if you kept a record of every reportable incident in your own accident book or health and safety log.
The Take Home: Why Reporting Is Important
Reporting incidents is not only a legal requirement but also a valuable source of information for the HSE in improving health and safety standards in workplaces. As you report incidents and accidents happening in your workplace, you help the HSE and other authorities with valuable data to monitor the causes and patterns of work-related accidents, incidents, and diseases and help inform preventive measures to avoid them in the future.
The HSE also uses data gathered from employers and self-employed reporting of such incidents to investigate serious incidents and provide guidelines to employers and workers on how best to comply with health and safety regulations.
Suppose you need the help of a professional to help with implementing these guidelines as they are updated and iterated; Howlett Health & Safety Services are venerable health and safety consultants London businesses call upon to deliver diligence.