Accidents and incidents
RIDDOR
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013
Employers, the self-employed, and persons in control of work premises, have legal duties to notify the relevant enforcing authority of a serious reportable work-related incident by the quickest practicable means and send them a report of that incident within 10 days. These incidents include deaths resulting from work activities, specified injuries, injuries that cause a worker to be absent for more than seven days, injuries to members of the public which require hospital treatment, certain occupational diseases and certain dangerous occurrences.
Accidents and incidents that must be reported.
Reportable incidents
Deaths
If there is an accident connected with work and your employee, or self-employed person working on the premises, or a member of the public is killed you must notify the incident without delay by telephoning the Incident Contact Centre on 0345 300 9923.
Specified injuries
If there is an accident connected with work and your employee, or self-employed person working on the premises sustains a specified injury, or a member of the public suffers an injury and is taken directly from the site to hospital for treatment, you must follow the reporting procedure.
Reportable specified injuries are:
- any bone fracture diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner, other than to a finger, thumb or toe
- amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- any injury diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner as being 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
- any burn injury (including scalding) which:
- covers more than 10% of the whole body’s total surface area
- causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
- any degree of scalping requiring hospital treatment
- loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
- any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:
- leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness
- requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours,
Over seven day injuries
Where any person at work is incapacitated for routine work for more than seven consecutive days (excluding the day of the accident) because of an injury resulting from an accident arising out of or in connection with that work, the responsible person must send a report as soon as practicable and in any event within 15 days of the accident.
Diseases
Where, in relation to a person at work, the responsible person receives a diagnosis of:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, where the person’s work involves regular use of percussive or vibrating tools
- cramp in the hand or forearm, where the person’s work involves prolonged periods of repetitive movement of the fingers, hand or arm
- occupational dermatitis, where the person’s work involves significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitizer or irritant
- Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome, where the person’s work involves regular use of percussive or vibrating tools, or the holding of materials which are subject to percussive processes, or processes causing vibration
- occupational asthma, where the person’s work involves significant or regular exposure to a known respiratory sensitizer
- tendonitis or tenosynovitis in the hand or forearm, where the person’s work is physically demanding and involves frequent, repetitive movements.
The responsible person must follow the reporting procedure.
Dangerous occurrences
If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury, but which clearly could have done, then it may be a dangerous occurrence which must be reported immediately.
- The collapse, overturning or failure of any load-bearing part of any lifting equipment, other than an accessory for lifting.
- The failure of any closed vessel or of any associated pipework (other than a pipeline) forming part of a pressure system as defined by regulation 2(1) of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, where that failure could cause the death of any person.
- Any plant or equipment unintentionally coming into contact with an uninsulated overhead electric line in which the voltage exceeds 200 volts; or close proximity with such an electric line, such that it causes an electrical discharge.
- Any explosion or fire caused by an electrical short circuit or overload (including those resulting from accidental damage to the electrical plant) which either results in the stoppage of the plant involved for more than 24 hours; or causes a significant risk of death.
- The complete or partial collapse (including falling, buckling or overturning) of a substantial part of any scaffold more than 5 metres in height; any supporting part of any slung or suspended scaffold which causes a working platform to fall (whether or not in use); or any part of any scaffold in circumstances such that there would be a significant risk of drowning to a person falling from the scaffold.
- The unintentional collapse or partial collapse of any structure, which involves a fall of more than 5 tonnes of material; or any floor or wall of any place of work, arising from, or in connection with, ongoing construction work (including demolition, refurbishment and maintenance), whether above or below ground.
- The unintentional collapse or partial collapse of any falsework.
- Any unintentional explosion or fire in any plant or premises which results in the stoppage of that plant, or the suspension of normal work in those premises, for more than 24 hours.
- The sudden, unintentional and uncontrolled release inside a building of 100 kilograms or more of a flammable liquid, 10 kilograms or more of a flammable liquid at a temperature above its normal boiling point, 10 kilograms or more of a flammable gas; or in the open air, of 500 kilograms or more of a flammable liquid or gas.
- The unintentional release or escape of any substance which could cause personal injury to any person other than through the combustion of flammable liquids or gases.
Additional categories of dangerous occurrences can be found in the legislation, the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Gas incidents
Where an approved person has sufficient information to decide that the design, construction, manner of installation, modification or servicing of a gas fitting is or could have been likely to cause the death, loss of consciousness or taking to hospital of a person because of:
- the accidental leakage of gas
- the incomplete combustion of gas
- the inadequate removal of the products of combustion of gas
The approved person must send a report of that information to the Executive in an approved manner within 14 days of acquiring that information.