RIDDOR reporting: What you need to know

If you're responsible for health and safety in the workplace, then you need to be aware of RIDDOR reporting.

RIDDOR requires certain types of accidents and injuries or certain types to be reported. Not complying with RIDDOR can result in a fine, so it's important to make sure you are aware of your obligations under the regulations. We discuss in this blog post what you need to know about RIDDOR reporting, including which incidents must be reported and how to report them. We will also discuss the penalties for non-compliance with RIDDOR.

What is RIDDOR?

RIDDOR is a set of UK regulations - The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 - created by statutory instrument by Parliament.

RIDDOR reporting is a legal requirement in the UK for certain types of accidents, injuries and diseases that occur in connection with work.

Incidents that need reporting under RIDDOR

There are four main categories of incidents that must be reported under RIDDOR:

Deaths

Any death of a person arising out of or in connection with their work, including an injury sustained at work which later results in death.

Major injuries

Any major injury to a person arising out of or in connection with their work, including an injury sustained at work which later results in major harm. A major injury is classed as: "any fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes; amputation of an arm, hand , finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe; dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine; loss of sight (temporary or permanent); loss of consciousness caused by head injury; any other injury arising from working which involves hospital treatment for more than 24 hours".

Over-seven-day injuries

Any injury to a person which prevents them from carrying out their normal work duties for more than seven consecutive days. This includes an injury sustained at work which later results in such harm.

Dangerous occurrences

"Near misses" and dangerous incidents that could have resulted in death or serious injury but didn't. A dangerous occurrence is classed as "an unintended incident which did not result in serious injury but which had the potential to do so and which the law requires to be reported".

How to report RIDDOR incidents

You must report RIDDOR incidents to the relevant enforcing authority within 14 days. The enforcing authority is usually the local Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or, in devolved nations, the equivalent body.

Incidents can be reported online via the HSE website, by phone or by post.

When reporting an incident, you will need to provide:

- The date of the incident

- The location of the incident

- The names of people involved

- A description of what happened

- The name and contact details of the person making the report (if different from above)

You should contact the HSE for advice if you are unsure about what incidents need reporting.

Health and safety software makes RIDDOR reporting easier

One of the best ways to ensure compliance with RIDDOR is to use health and safety software such as Work Wallet's Incident & Accident Reporting feature. This type of software can help you to report, track and manage incidents more easily.

RIDDOR reporting on the go

You can use Work Wallet's health and safety software app to log RIDDOR incidents on mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. This means that you can log an incident immediately after it happens, even if you're not in the office.

Work Wallet's Incident & Accident Reporting health and safety software is smart and simple to use. It makes it easy to report RIDDOR incidents, with pre-populated fields and the ability to upload supporting multimedia documentation as evidence. You can also use the software to track resulting investigations and actions, and to generate reports. You can deal with RIDDOR incidents quickly and effectively, learning lessons about what happened and why.

Easily evidence RIDDOR reporting compliance

Using this digital Incident & Accident Reporting tool makes sure all your data is securely and instantly stored on the Cloud, with evidence of regulatory compliance with RIDDOR reporting available at any time at the touch of a button.

Added benefits of paperless working

Additionally, using Work Wallet's health and safety app will help you transition to a paperless workplace, saving you time and money on printing and filing. Your workplace will be more sustainable, and more productive, recovering lost time to focus on things that make a tangible difference.

Big benefits at low and flexible prices

Work Wallet is a modular system that meets all your health and safety needs. With a choice of thirteen different features, you only choose and pay for what you need. Pricing is typically based on a low per-user per-month charge - with Incident & Accident Reporting available from only £2.50 per user per month.

To find out more about how Work Wallet can help you with RIDDOR reporting, request a demo today.

What are the penalties for non-compliance with RIDDOR reporting?

Breach of RIDDOR is a criminal offence, punishable by an unlimited fine if convicted on indictment in the Crown Court. Alternatively, if convicted on summary conviction in a magistrate's court, the maximum fine is £400.

In most cases, however, incidents will be dealt with by way of an enforcement notice issued by the HSE. This will require the responsible person to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future.

Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is also a criminal offence, punishable by an unlimited fine if convicted on indictment in the Crown Court.

Therefore, investing a small amount in digital Incident & Accident Reporting health and safety software can save you much larger costs down the line.

RIDDOR reporting: Conclusion

RIDDOR reporting is a legal requirement for certain types of accidents, injuries and diseases that occur in connection with work. It requires the reporting of four main incident categories. These are deaths, major injuries, over-seven-day injuries and dangerous occurrences. You can report incidents online via the HSE website. You can also make reports by phone or by post, supplying all the necessary details about the incident.

Breach of RIDDOR is a criminal offence, potentially punishable by an unlimited fine. However, the HSE will deal with most incidents by issuing an enforcement notice. This will require the responsible person to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in future.

RIDDOR reporting is a vital part of health and safety compliance in the UK. Failure to comply can result in serious penalties.

Adopting digital health and safety software such as Work Wallet's Incident & Accident Reporting app makes reporting simpler and more sustainable, saving time and boosting productivity.

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