RIDDOR – Reporting Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurences

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 2

Subject:          Reporting Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences 2013

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements. 

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities. 

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

RIDDOR is the abbreviation for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. 

Under these regulations, certain specified incidents must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

 The categories of incident that must be reported are:

• Any ‘work related’ fatality
• Any ‘specified’ non-fatal injury to workers  
• Over 7 day Injuries
• Injuries to third parties and self employed
• Occupational diseases
• Dangerous occurrences

All incidents reportable to the HSE must be put onto the ‘Incident Management System’ and any information provided by the HSE in relation to RIDDOR must be retained, scanned and included on the ‘Incident Management System’. 

The responsible manager with the duty for notifying reportable incidents ensure that prior to contacting the HSE,

• The site is left undisturbed for examination (unless this presents an ongoing risk to health and/or safety, in which case actions must be taken to make the incident site safe),

• The manager is recommended to contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor by phone so they are aware of the incident and can then ensure that any associated actions are completed and that it is reported to the HSE as required.

The 2 methods for reporting incidents to the HSE are:

Phone (Work Related Fatality & Specified Non Fatal Injuries only)

The HSE’s Incident Contact Centre is open between 08:30 and 17:00, Monday to Friday and the telephone no. is 0345 300 9923.

This form of contact is primarily to be used for reporting a work related fatality or specified non fatal injury.  The ICC will generate an ‘F2508’ form on the information you have provided.

Internet (All incidents)

You can make a report by completing an interactive form on the RIDDOR website.  Using the internet go to www.riddor.gov.uk or link in via the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk and follow the on-screen instructions. An automatically generated ‘F2508’ form will be sent to you.

The above methods have been designed to simplify the reporting process to the HSE. 

Please ensure that you when you contact the HSE, a copy of the F2508 is always received as this information is required by the ‘Incident Management System’ as part of the management investigation process and without this form, the incident record cannot be closed.

There are 6 primary categories of incident that require reporting to the Health & Safety executive.

These are identified in the following table and the information on who, how and when contact needs to be made is detailed.

Additional information on what is covered within each category will assist managers to understand the scope of RIDDOR and when an incident must be reported to the HSE.

Incident Categories	Person responsible for reporting to HSE	Method of reporting to the HSE	How quickly must the HSE be informed
Work related fatality	Agreed NIC manager.	Phone or Internet	Immediately
Specified non-fatal injury to workers	Agreed NIC manager.	Phone or Internet	Immediately
Over 7 day Injuries	Agreed NIC manager.	Internet Only	Within 10 days
Occupational diseases	Agreed NIC manager.	Internet Only	Immediately upon diagnosis
Injuries to third parties and self employed	Agreed NIC manager.	Internet Only	Within 10 days
Dangerous occurrences	Agreed NIC manager.	Internet Only	Immediately

The HSE must be informed immediately, where any person dies as a result of a work related accident.

Exposure to a biological agent (either immediately, or within one year of an accident arising out of, or in connection with, the work activity resulting from an accident listed within the specified non-fatal injuries to workers list) is also deemed to be a work related fatality.

Where any person at work as a result of a work related accident suffers any of the following

1. any fracture (other than fingers, thumb or toe);
2. amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe;
3. any injury to the eye likely to cause permanent blinding or reduction in sight to either one or both eyes;
4. any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs in the chest or abdomen;
5. any burn injury (including scalding) which:

(i) covers more than 10% of the whole body’s total surface area; or

(ii) causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs;

1. any degree of scalping requiring hospital treatment;
2. loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia; or
3. any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:

(i) leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness; or

(ii) requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Over 7 day injuries is considered to be any incident to an NIC employee or agency worker whilst at work that results in the injured person being off work for more than 7 consecutive days. 

These accidents must be reported to the HSE using the identified reporting mechanism.

The 7 days excludes the day of the accident but includes any days which would not have been working days such as weekends, holidays or other leave. 

The ‘Incident Management System’ automatically calculates this and will inform you that the incident is reportable to the HSE.

This requirement to report to the HSE applies also if the person continues to work after their accident, but is unable to perform their normal day to day duties.

Third Parties

Any injury to a third party (public / service users, etc.) must be reported to the HSE if:

1. It results from an accident arising out of or in connection with work; and
2. it results in them being taken from the premises where the accident occurred to hospital for treatment for the injury; or
3. the person dies as a result of the accident.

Self employed

The person in control of the premises must report any death, major injury, over 7 day injury, or case of disease, to a self employed person at work on premises under NIC control.

In relation to work, the employer receives a diagnosis of:

1. ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’, where the person’s work involves regular use of percussive or vibrating tools;
2. cramp in the hand or forearm, where the person’s work involves prolonged periods of repetitive movement of the fingers, hand or arm;
3. occupational dermatitis, where the person’s work involves significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitizer or irritant;
4. ‘hand arm vibration syndrome’, where the person’s work involves regular use of percussive or vibrating tools, or the holding of materials which are subject to percussive processes, or processes causing vibration;
5. occupational asthma, where the person’s work involves significant or regular exposure to a known respiratory sensitizer; or
6. tendonitis or tenosynovitis in the hand or forearm, where the person’s work is physically demanding and involves frequent, repetitive movements.

Where, in relation to a person at work, the responsible person receives a diagnosis of:

1. any cancer attributed to an occupational exposure to a known human carcinogen or mutagen (including ionising radiation); or
2. any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent.

The following Dangerous Occurrences are reportable to the HSE:

Lifting equipment

1. The collapse, overturning or failure of any load-bearing part of any lifting equipment, other than an accessory for lifting.

 Pressure systems

2. The failure of any closed vessel or of any associated pipe-work (other than a pipeline) forming part of a pressure system as defined by regulation 2(1) of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (a), where that failure could cause the death of any person.

Overhead electric lines

3. Any plant or equipment unintentionally coming into:

(a) contact with an un-insulated overhead electric line in which the voltage exceeds 200 volts;

or

(b) close proximity with such an electric line, such that it causes an electrical discharge.

Electrical incidents causing explosion or fire

4. Any explosion or fire caused by an electrical short circuit or overload (including those resulting from accidental damage to the electrical plant) which either:

(a) results in the stoppage of the plant involved for more than 24 hours; or

(b) causes a significant risk of death.

Explosives

5. Any unintentional:

(a) fire, explosion or ignition at a site where the manufacture or storage of explosives requires a licence or registration, as the case may be, under regulation 9, 10 or 11 of the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005; or

(b) explosion or ignition of explosives (unless caused by the unintentional discharge of a weapon, where, apart from that unintentional discharge, the weapon and explosives functioned as they were designed to),

except where a fail-safe device or safe system of work prevented any person being endangered as a result of the fire, explosion or ignition.

6. The misfire of explosives (other than at a mine or quarry, inside a well or involving a weapon) except where a fail-safe device or safe system of work prevented any person being endangered as a result of the misfire.
7. Any explosion, discharge or intentional fire or ignition which causes any injury to a person requiring first-aid or medical treatment, other than at a mine or quarry.
8. The projection of material beyond the boundary of the site on which the explosives are being used, or beyond the ‘danger zone’ of the site, which caused or might have caused injury, except at a quarry.
9. The failure of shots to cause the intended extent of collapse or direction of fall of a structure in any demolition operation.

Biological agents

10. Any accident or incident which results or could have resulted in the release or escape of a biological agent likely to cause severe human infection or illness.

Radiation generators and radiography

11. (1) The malfunction of:

(a)    a radiation generator or its ancillary equipment used in fixed or mobile industrial radiography, the irradiation of food or the processing of products by irradiation, which causes it to fail to de-energise at the end of the intended exposure period; or

(b)    equipment used in fixed or mobile industrial radiography or gamma irradiation, which causes a radioactive source to fail to return to its safe position by the normal means at the end of the intended exposure period.

(2) In this paragraph, “radiation generator” means any electrical equipment emitting ionising radiation and containing components operating at a potential difference of more than 5kV.

 

Breathing apparatus

12. The malfunction of breathing apparatus:

(a)    where the malfunction causes a significant risk of personal injury to the user; or

(b)    during testing immediately prior to use, where the malfunction would have caused a significant risk to the health and safety of the user had it occurred during use, other than at a mine.

Diving operations

13. The failure, damaging or endangering of:

(a)   any life support equipment, including control panels, hoses and breathing apparatus; or

(b) the dive platform, or any failure of the dive platform to remain on station, which causes a significant risk of personal injury to a diver.

14. The failure or endangering of any lifting equipment associated with a diving operation.
15. The trapping of a diver.
16. Any explosion in the vicinity of a diver.
17. Any uncontrolled ascent or any omitted decompression which causes a significant risk of personal injury to a diver.

Collapse of scaffolding

18. The complete or partial collapse (including falling, buckling or overturning) of:

(a)   a substantial part of any scaffold more than 5 metres in height;

(b) any supporting part of any slung or suspended scaffold which causes a working platform to fall (whether or not in use); or

(c)   any part of any scaffold in circumstances such that there would be a significant risk of drowning to a person falling from the scaffold.

Train collisions

19. The collision of a train with any other train or vehicle, other than a collision reportable under Part 5 of this Schedule, which could have caused the death, or specified injury, of any person.

Wells

20. In relation to a well (other than a well sunk for the purpose of the abstraction of water):

(a)   a blow-out (which includes any uncontrolled flow of well-fluids from a well);

(b) the coming into operation of a blow-out prevention or diversion system to control flow of well-fluids where normal control procedures fail;

(c)   the detection of hydrogen sulphide at a well or in samples of well-fluids where the responsible person did not anticipate its presence in the reservoir drawn on by the well;

(d) the taking of precautionary measures additional to any contained in the original drilling programme where a planned minimum separation distance between adjacent wells was not maintained; or

(e) the mechanical failure of any part of a well whose purpose is to prevent or limit the effect of the unintentional release of fluids from a well or a reservoir being drawn on by a well, or whose failure would cause or contribute to such a release.

Pipelines or pipeline works

21. In relation to a pipeline or pipeline works:

(a)   any damage to, accidental or uncontrolled release from or inrush of anything into a pipeline;

(b) the failure of any pipeline isolation device, associated equipment or system; or

(c)   the failure of equipment involved with pipeline works, which could cause personal injury to any person, or which results in the pipeline being shut down or more than 24 hours.

22. The unintentional change in position of a pipeline, or in the subsoil or seabed in the vicinity, which requires immediate attention to safeguard the pipeline’s integrity or safety.