The Importance of Reporting Accidents

​An incident that occurred almost a year ago has only recently been brought to the attention of the HSE, it was brought to their attention due to the injured party making a claim.  An accident investigation was not completed at the time and the incident was not reported under RIDDOR. HSE are now investigating this relatively simple accident with the company involved and the reason may be due to the accident not being reported in the first instance. Any accident that results in a civil claim ('No Win No Fee type claim'), will then be brought to the attention of the HSE by the solicitors.  So our advice is to always report accident / incidents when they happen.  If you are ever unsure as to whether it is reportable then give us a call and we will clarify for you whether it is reportable under the RIDDOR 2013 regulations. 

Recording and reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). 

Reports to the enforcing authority of all of the above categories, except over-seven-day injuries, must be made immediately by the quickest practicable means and followed up by a written notification within 10 days. Reports of over-seven-day injuries must be sent to the enforcing authority within 15 days.

In addition,records must be kept of all of ‘over-three-day injuries’, which are those where a person who is injured at work is incapacitated for more than three consecutive days. Over-three-day injuries do not, however, have to be reported to the enforcing authority any more.

If you have an accident or incident on site please inform us as soon as possible. We will if required get someone to the site as soon as possible (Geography/timescales permitted) for the serious incidents. We will also be able to offer you advice about when/if the incident should be reported and how to complete the report. If you receive any correspondence from the HSE, please get in contact with us for advice on how to respond.