Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1995 (RIDDOR)

 

This article is based on the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1995 (RIDDOR). The regulations came into force on 1^st April 1996.

 

The article will be useful reading if you are:

• A safety representative;
• A health and safety professional or;
• Interested in health and safety.

 

Additionally, if you are an employer, are self employed or are in control of premises at work, you will have a duty under the regulations.

 

Here’s an example - An employee in your company gets injured while working in your workplace. You dutifully provide him or her with the best treatment given the circumstances. These regulations give you an obligation also to report the accident and injury.

 

RIDDOR requires the reporting of work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. The Act applies to all work related activities, but not to all work related incidents. The objective of the regulations is to enable the enforcing authorities to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents so as to prevent them from occurring in the future and thus providing a safer work environment. The enforcing authorities can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss.

 

Read this information and report any accident to the relevant authority (details outlined below). How to make a report is discussed later.

 

In brief, these are the events that you have a duty to report by law:

• Deaths and major injuries;
• Accidents resulting in 3 days off from work;
• Diseases;
• Dangerous occurrences.

 

Deaths and major injuries – includes injuries resulting from physical violence. You must notify the enforcing authority without delay – i.e. by telephone. They will ask you about the accident and your workplace. You must then follow this up with a report on form F2508 within ten days.

 

Reportable major injuries as described by RIDDOR include:

• Fractures 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;
• Any other injury requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
• Acute illness requiring medical treatment, or loss of consciousness arising from absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin;
• Accidents resulting in 3 days off from work - You must send a completed accident report form (F2508), to the enforcing authority within ten days.

 

Disease – The disease must be acknowledged by a doctor, as well as the employee or self employed person at your workplace. You must send a completed disease report form (F2508A), to the enforcing authority within ten days. Reportable diseases include, but are not limited to:

• Certain poisonings;
• Some skin diseases;
• Lung disease including asthma;
• Infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, tetanus and others;
• Other infections such as decompression illness, occupational cancer and hand-arm vibration syndrome.

 

Telephone the HSE’s Information line for a full list.

 

Dangerous Occurrences – if an accident occurs which does not fall into the ‘reportable injuries’ section, it may still be reportable as a dangerous occurrence. Net Lawman recommends you report it in order to stay within the regulations. Telephone the enforcing authority immediately. Within ten days, follow the report up with report form F2508. Dangerous Occurrences include, but are not limited to:

• Explosion or collapse of any closed vessel or pipe work;
• Collapse, overturn or failure of any lifting equipment;
• Failure of any freight container in its load-bearing parts;
• Plant o equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines;
• Short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion;
• Any unintentional explosion causing fire, damage or injury;
• Release of any biological agent likely to cause human harm;
• Malfunction of breathing apparatus, while in testing or use;
• Failure of any equipment used in diving, including the entrapment of diving, an explosion near a diver, or an uncontrolled ascent;
• Collapse of scaffold over 5m;
• Collision of a train with any vehicle;
• Dangerous occurrence at a well, other than a water well;
• Dangerous occurrence at a pipeline.