RIDDOR 2013: HSE Incident Reporting Requirements

Regulatory citation: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1471)

What Is RIDDOR?

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) require employers, self-employed people and people in control of work premises (the "responsible person") to report certain serious workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the relevant enforcing authority in Great Britain. Reports help regulators identify where and how risks arise, and decide when to investigate.

Why RIDDOR Matters

RIDDOR is one of the most frequently applied pieces of UK safety law. Failing to report a reportable incident is a criminal offense, and late or missing reports can prompt HSE to look more closely at an organization's wider safety management.

What Must Be Reported

1. Work-Related Deaths

Deaths of workers and non-workers that result from a work-related accident, including acts of physical violence to a worker.

2. Specified Injuries to Workers

Specified injuries include fractures (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes), amputations, injuries likely to cause permanent loss or reduction of sight, crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs, serious burns covering more than 10% of the body or damaging the eyes, respiratory system or vital organs, certain scalpings, loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia, and injuries from working in an enclosed space that lead to hypothermia, heat-induced illness, resuscitation or hospital admission for more than 24 hours.

3. Over-Seven-Day Incapacitation

Injuries that leave a worker unable to perform their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident.

4. Non-Workers Taken to Hospital

Injuries to members of the public or other non-workers that arise from a work activity and result in them being taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment.

5. Occupational Diseases

Diagnosed diseases linked to work, including carpal tunnel syndrome, severe cramp of the hand or forearm, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm, occupational cancers and diseases caused by exposure to biological agents.

6. Dangerous Occurrences

Specified near-miss events with high potential for harm, such as the collapse or failure of lifting equipment, unintended collapse of structures, explosions and fires, and accidental release of substances that could cause harm, even if no one is injured.

7. Gas Incidents

Gas suppliers and registered gas engineers have specific duties to report certain flammable gas incidents and dangerous gas fittings.

Reporting Deadlines

• Deaths and specified injuries: report without delay, and in any event within 10 days of the incident.
• Over-seven-day injuries: report within 15 days of the incident.
• Occupational diseases: report as soon as the responsible person receives a written diagnosis from a doctor.
• Dangerous occurrences: report without delay, and within 10 days.

Fatal and specified injuries can be reported by telephone to HSE, and most other reports are made online.

Record-Keeping Requirements

Responsible persons must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence, including the date and method of reporting, the date, time and place of the event, personal details of those involved and a brief description. Injuries that incapacitate a worker for more than three consecutive days must be recorded, even though they do not need to be reported. Records must be kept for at least three years.

Common Compliance Approaches

Assign a Responsible Reporter

Name who submits RIDDOR reports, with a backup, so reports are not delayed or duplicated.

Track Absence Days After Every Injury

Over-seven-day injuries are easy to miss because the reporting trigger occurs a week after the accident. Link injury records with absence tracking so the 15-day deadline isn't missed.

Train Managers to Recognize Specified Injuries

Give supervisors a quick reference list of specified injuries and dangerous occurrences relevant to your work.

Keep Accident Records Centralized

An accident book or digital incident system that captures all injuries makes it easier to identify reportable cases and meet the record-keeping requirements.

Example: RIDDOR in Practice

A warehouse operative slips on a wet loading dock and fractures their wrist. Because a fracture (other than to fingers, thumbs or toes) is a specified injury, the site manager reports it to HSE without delay and within the 10-day limit. A week later, a second worker strains their back lifting a box and is signed off work for nine days. Because the incapacity lasts more than seven consecutive days, the employer submits a RIDDOR report within 15 days of the accident. Both incidents are recorded in the accident book and investigated to prevent recurrence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What incidents must be reported under RIDDOR?

RIDDOR requires the reporting of work-related deaths, specified injuries to workers such as most fractures, amputations and serious burns, injuries that incapacitate a worker for more than seven consecutive days, injuries to non-workers who are taken to hospital from the scene, certain diagnosed occupational diseases, specified dangerous occurrences, and certain gas incidents. Not every workplace injury is reportable, so employers should check whether an incident meets one of these categories.

What is the deadline for a RIDDOR report?

Deaths, specified injuries and dangerous occurrences must be reported without delay and within 10 days. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the incident. Occupational diseases must be reported once the responsible person receives a written diagnosis from a doctor. Reporting promptly is always the safest approach.

Do over-three-day injuries need to be reported?

No. Injuries that incapacitate a worker for more than three consecutive days must be recorded, but they only need to be reported to HSE if the incapacity lasts more than seven consecutive days. This change was introduced in 2012, and many employers still record over-three-day injuries in their accident book to meet the recording requirement.

Who is responsible for making a RIDDOR report?

The "responsible person" is usually the employer. For self-employed people, it is generally the self-employed person themselves or, in some cases, the person in control of the premises where they were working. For injuries to members of the public, it is the person in control of the premises or the work activity. Organizations should make clear internally who holds this responsibility.