Everyone's guide to RIDDOR 95:

    Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

    What is RIDDOR '95?

    You may be hearing or reading a lot about RIDDOR '95, but what, exactly, does it mean? It means the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, which came into force on 1 April 1996.

    Why do I need to know about RIDDOR '95?

    RIDDOR '95 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities, but not to all incidents.

    Most people with duties under the Regulations will find all they need to know here - even if they didn't know about the Regulations which RIDDOR '95 replaces. However, if you want the full text of the Regulations together with guidance notes a separate detailed guide is available.

    Why more Regulations?

    In this case more really is less. RIDDOR '95 replaces five sets of previous Regulations. RIDDOR '95 makes things easier in several ways. It simplifies what you should report and how to report it.

    Why should I 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. We can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss - much of which is uninsurable. A free leaflet Be safe - save money! looks at what accidents cost.

    Do the Regulations affect me?

    If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under the Regulations.

    What do I need to do?

    Not very much! - For most businesses a reportable accident, dangerous occurrence or case of disease is a comparatively rare event. Please read this leaflet and keep it handy in case you need to make a report.

    When do I need to act?

    Death or major injury
    If there is an accident connected with work and:
    your employee, or a self-employed person working on your premises is killed or suffers a major injury (including as a result of physical violence); or
    a member of the public is killed or taken to hospital;

     you must notify the enforcing authority without delay (eg. telephone). They will ask for brief details about your business, the injured person and the accident; and

     within ten days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508).

     

    Definitions of major injuries are given later.

     

    Over-three-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 send a completed accident report form (F2508) to the enforcing authority within ten days. An over-three-day injury is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do their normal work for more than three days (including non work days) .

     

    Disease

     If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease then you must send a completed disease report form (F2508A) to the enforcing authority. A summary of the reportable diseases is given later. A full list is included with the pad of report forms and in the guide to the Regulations, or you can simply ring HSE to check whether a disease is reportable.

     

    Dangerous occurrence

     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 (eg by telephone). A summary of the reportable dangerous occurrences is given later. A full list is included with the pad of report forms and in the guide to the Regulations, or you can simply ring HSE to find out.

     Within ten days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508).

     

    I'm self-employed. What do I need to do?

    If you are working in someone else's premises and suffer either a major injury or an injury which means you cannot do your normal work for more than three days, then they will be responsible for reporting, so, where possible, you should make sure they know about it.

    If you or a member of the public is injured while you are working on your own premises, if there is a dangerous occurrence there, or if a doctor tells you you have a work-related disease or condition, then you need to report it. However, as a self-employed person you don't need to notify immediately if you suffer a major injury on your own premises. Either you or someone acting for you should send in a report form within 10 days.

    Who do I report to?

    In general, you should contact the environmental health department of your local authority if your business is:
    • office-based;
    • retail or wholesale;
    • warehousing;
    • hotel and catering;
    • sports or leisure;
    • residential accommodation, excluding nursing homes, or;
    • concerned with places of worship.
    The address and telephone number will be in the 'phone book under the authority's name.

    For all other types of business it will be the area office of the Health and Safety Executive. Look in the 'phone book under HSE to obtain the address and telephone number. If you have any difficulty obtaining the details, ring HSE's InfoLine.

    Keeping records

    You 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.

    Guidance on keeping records
    You could, for example, choose to keep your records by:

    keeping copies of report forms in a file;
    recording the details on a computer;
    maintaining a written log.

    Is that all?

    Yes - for the majority of people with duties under the Regulations this leaflet contains all you will need to know.

    Any questions you may have, for example on reportable dangerous occurrences or diseases, can be answered by calling HSE. If, however, you would like to have more of the detail to hand a detailed guide to the Regulations is available. It contains the full text of the Regulations together with guidance on interpretation and includes the lists of reportable diseases and dangerous occurrences.

    Separate guidance is also available covering the application of RIDDOR '95 to railways, tramways etc.

    Definitions of major injuries, dangerous occurrences and diseases

    Reportable major injuries are:
    • 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 leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
    • any other injury: leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
    • unconsciousness caused by asphyxia or exposure to harmful substance or biological agent;
    • acute illness requiring medical treatment, or loss of consciousness arising from absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin;
    • acute illness requiring medical treatment where there is reason to believe that this resulted from exposure to a biological agent or its toxins or infected material.

    Reportable dangerous occurrences are:
    This list summarises each of the dangerous occurrences

    1. collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment;
    2. explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel or associated pipework;
    3. failure of any freight container in any of its load-bearing parts;
    4. plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines;
    5. electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion;
    6. any unintentional explosion, misfire, failure of demolition to cause the intended collapse, projection of material beyond a site boundary, injury caused by an explosion;
    7. accidental release of a biological agent likely to cause severe human illness;
    8. failure of industrial radiography or irradiation equipment to de-energise or return to its safe position after the intended exposure period;
    9. malfunction of breathing apparatus while in use or during testing immediately before use;
    10. failure or endangering of diving equipment, the trapping of a diver, an explosion near a diver, or an uncontrolled ascent;
    11. collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over five metres high, or erected near water where there could be a risk of drowning after a fall;
    12. unintended collision of a train with any vehicle;
    13. dangerous occurrence at a well (other than a water well);
    14. dangerous occurrence at a pipeline;
    15. failure of any load-bearing fairground equipment, or derailment or unintended collision of cars or trains;
    16. a road tanker carrying a dangerous substance overturns, suffers serious damage, catches fire or the substance is released;
    17. a dangerous substance being conveyed by road is involved in a fire or released;
    18. The following dangerous occurrences are reportable except in relation to offshore workplaces:
    19. unintended collapse of: any building or structure under construction, alteration or demolition where over five tonnes of material falls; a wall or floor in a place of work; any false-work;
    20. explosion or fire causing suspension of normal work for over 24 hours;
    21. sudden, uncontrolled release in a building of: 100 kg or more of flammable liquid; 10 kg of flammable liquid above its boiling point;
    22. 10 kg or more of flammable gas; or of 500 kg of these substances if the release is in the open air;
    23. accidental release of any substance which may damage health.

    Note: additional categories of dangerous occurrences apply to mines, quarries, relevant transport systems (railways etc) and offshore workplaces.

     

    Reportable diseases include:
    • 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.

    The full list of reportable diseases can be found in the detailed guide to the Regulations and in the pad of report forms, or simply ring HSE to check. They are related to particular work activities.

     

    This leaflet is available in priced packs of 10 from HSEBooks, ISBN 0 7176 1077 2. Single free copies are also available from HSEBooks.
    HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from:
    HSE Books, POBox 1999,
    Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS
    Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995

    HSE priced publications are also available from good booksellers.

     

    For other enquiries ring HSE's InfoLine Tel: 0541 545500 or write to
    HSE's Information Centre, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ

     

    This leaflet contains notes on good practice which are not compulsory but which you may find helpful in considering what you need to do.

    This publication may be freely reproduced, except for advertising, endorsement or commercial purposes. The information is current at 5/96. Please acknowledge the source as HSE.

    Date published on internet, December 1996