2.12 RIDDOR: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences |
Contents
1. What is RIDDOR '95?
RIDDOR '95 means the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, which came into force on 1 April 1996.
RIDDOR '95 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities, but not to all incidents.
2. Why Report?
Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement. The information enables the enforcing authorities to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. The enforcing authorities can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss - much of which is uninsurable.
3. When Should Accidents/incidents be Reported?
Any of the following, relating to any member of staff, child or visitor, are reportable:
- death or major injury (see Section 3.1, Death or major injury)
- over 3 day injury (see Section 3.2, Over 3 day injury)
- serious accidents
- diseases (see Section 3.3, Diseases)
- dangerous occurrences gas incidents (see Section 3.4, Dangerous Occurrence)
3.1 Death or major injury
If an employee, self employed person, member of the public or young person is involved in an accident and dies, including deaths resulting from physical violence. Reportable major injuries include:
- Fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes
- Amputation
- Dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
- Loss of sight - temporary or permanent
- Chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye
- Injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn
- Any other injury requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
- Acute illness requiring medical treatment, or loss of consciousness arising from absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin.
A doctor may require that other injuries are notifiable.
3.2 Over 3 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 report it to the enforcing authority within ten days. An over-3-day injury is one which is not "major" but results in the injured person being away from work OR unable to do their full range of their normal duties for more than three days.
The day of the accident is not included but weekends shift breaks and holidays are to be included in the calculation. This must be reported to the enforcing authority (i.e. Health & Safety Executive) within 10 days
3.3 Diseases
If a doctor notifies you that an employee/young person suffers from a reportable work-related disease, for example:
- certain poisonings;
- some skin diseases such as occupational dermatitis, skin cancer, chrome ulcer, oil folliculitis/acne;
- lung diseases including: occupational asthma, farmer's lung, pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, mesothelioma;
- infections such as: leptospirosis; hepatitis; tuberculosis; anthrax; legionellosis and tetanus;
- other conditions such as: occupational cancer; certain musculoskeletal disorders; decompression illness and hand-arm vibration syndrome.
3.4 Dangerous Occurrence
If something happens involving an employee, self employed person, visitor or young person 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 to the enforcing authority.
Reportable dangerous incidents include :
- Collapse, overturning or failure of load bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment
- Electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion.
- Any unintentional explosion, misfire, failure of demolition to cause the intended collapse. Projection of material beyond a site boundary, injury caused by an explosion.
- Malfunction of breathing apparatus while in use or during testing immediately before use.
- Failure or endangering of diving equipment, the trapping of a diver, an explosion near a diver or an uncontrolled ascent.
- Dangerous occurrence at a well
- Unintended collapse of any building or structure under construction, alteration or demolition where over 5 Tonnes of material falls, a wall or floor in a place of work.
- Explosion or fire causing suspension of work for over 24 hours.
- Accidental release of any substance which may damage health.
4. Reporting
Reports must be made initially to the Resource Manager and Line Manager/ Group Manager. The Group manager should notify the Main Office who should subsequently inform the Health and Safety Executive Incident Contact Centre as detailed below. It will also be necessary to notify other agencies as required in Notifiable Events Procedure
Health and Safety Executive Incident Contact Centre:
Telephone: 0845 3009923
Website: RIDDOR website
Facsimile: 0845 3009924
By post to:
Incident Contact Centre
Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG
The Incident Contact Centre will forward details of incidents to the relevant enforcing authority, which is the environmental health department of your local authority.
The Home Manager must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. 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. You can keep the record in any form you wish.
End