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REPORTING AN ACCIDENTReporting accidents & ill health at work is a legal requirement under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, (RIDDOR ’95). RIDDOR '95 requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases & dangerous occurrences. It applies to all work activities but not to all incidents. The information enables the enforcing authorities to identify where & how risks arise & to investigate serious accidents. It also enables the Authorities to provide help & advise preventive action to reduce injury, ill health & accidental loss. Who do the Regulations affect?If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under the Regulations. What do you need to do?Not very much! For most businesses a reportable accident, dangerous occurrence or case of disease is a comparatively rare event. When do you need to act?Death or major injury you must notify the enforcing authority without delay (e.g. telephone). They will ask for brief details about your business, the injured person & the accident & within 10 days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508). Over-three-day injury If there is an accident connected with work (including an act of physical violence) & an 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 10 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 an employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease then you must send a completed disease report form (F2508A) to the enforcing authority. 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 this must be reported immediately (e.g. by telephone) & within 10 days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form (F2508). If you are self-employed!If you are working in someone else's premises & suffer either a major injury or an injury which means you cannot do your normal work for more than 3 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 that 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 & catering, sports or leisure, residential accommodation (excluding nursing homes), or places of worship. The address & telephone number will be in the telephone directory under the authority's name. For all other types of business it will be your regional HSE Office. Keeping RecordsYou must keep a record of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. This must include the date & method of reporting, date, time & place of the event, personal details of those involved & a brief description of the nature of the event or disease.
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