How to Report Health and Safety Incidents Involving Employees Under RIDDOR

Picture this. An employee is rushed to the hospital following an accident in your workplace. Once you've managed the immediate response, would you know how to correctly report the incident?

Reporting workplace accidents can seem complex, with many confusing variables. Some employers risk prosecution by failing to notify authorities about safety incidents designated by law – in fact, the HSE estimates that employers report only around half of the RIDDOR-reportable non-fatal injuries suffered by their employees. At the same time, others trigger unnecessary regulatory scrutiny by spotlighting routine, low-level safety concerns.

In the UK, accident reporting is governed by RIDDOR, the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. RIDDOR is a critical piece of health and safety legislation that sets out which workplace incidents need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This is a definitive list outlined by the government that covers:

• Fatal work-related accidents
• Work-related accidents that cause certain serious injuries
• Diagnosed cases of certain industrial diseases
• Certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm)

Because not every accident or near miss needs to be reported, employers often feel uncertain about how to manage post-incident documentation. However, it's worth taking the time to understand and align with RIDDOR requirements – for the benefit of your own operations and the broader business community.

RIDDOR reporting provides vital data to help the HSE and local authorities track accident trends, influence policy, and improve overall workplace safety standards. With the ideal balance of external compliance and in-house accountability, you can prevent incidents and injuries on your own sites and shape better work environments across the UK.

This blog breaks down RIDDOR requirements into step-by-step strategies, explaining the dos and don'ts of RIDDOR reporting – and providing practical action plans to stay on the right side of regulations.

If you're new to UK health and safety law, our guide to health and safety legislation covers the key regulations employers need to understand. For a plain-English overview of the basics, see our simple answers to your top six RIDDOR questions.

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What type of accidents and injuries are reportable under RIDDOR?

According to the HSE, RIDDOR puts duties on employers, the self-employed, and people in control of work premises – the 'responsible person' – to report certain serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and specified dangerous occurrences (near misses).

The regulations provide a defined list of reportable events, from amputations and serious crush injuries to diagnosed hand-arm vibration syndrome and near misses such as collapsed scaffolding.

You should always report work-related incidents that meet RIDDOR's criteria. These include:

• The death of any person arising from a work-related accident.
• Specified injuries to workers, such as fractures (excluding fingers, thumbs, and toes).
• Injuries to workers that prevent them from performing their regular work duties for more than seven consecutive days.
• Injuries to a member of the public, or other non-worker, where the injury arises from a work activity and they are taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment.

While some injuries appear clear-cut, it's essential to confirm whether they are legitimately RIDDOR-reportable. Before you submit a report, work through this checklist:

• Injury type – does it appear on the RIDDOR specified-injuries list?
• Diagnosis – specified injuries such as fractures must be medically confirmed; self-diagnosed or suspected breaks don't meet the reporting threshold.
• Work-relatedness – confirm that work activity contributed to the event (see below).
• Absence length – an extended absence may become reportable under the over-seven-day criterion.
• Reporting deadline – check which deadline applies before you submit.

If the extent of an injury isn't yet known – for example, if medical staff are considering amputation – you aren't required to submit a precautionary report. And if you're unsure where your duties begin and end, our guide to who is responsible for health and safety breaks down how accountability is assigned across your organisation.

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Key terms and work-related accidents

What is a work-related accident? Under RIDDOR, an accident is work-related if the way the work was carried out, the machinery or substances used, or the condition of the workplace played a role in causing the injury. An accident that simply happens at work is not automatically work-related – work activity must have contributed.

RIDDOR-reportable injuries must be work-related. This means they must be the result of work activity or workplace conditions. For example, a medically confirmed wrist fracture caused by tripping on trailing computer cables.

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How to decide if an accident is work-related

When assessing if an incident is RIDDOR applicable, you must first determine whether work activity contributed to the event. The answer is yes if any of the following factors are involved:

• How the activity was performed, including task organisation and supervision.
• Any machinery, equipment, plant, or substances linked to the workplace or its working practices.
• The condition of the workplace, including the state of its buildings, outside areas, floors, paving, stairs, and lighting.

Equally, it's important to recognise the definition of an 'accident' under RIDDOR. Under the regulations, an 'accident' is a distinct, identifiable, and unintended event that causes a physical injury. This includes injuries arising from non-consensual violence at work.

Experiencing pain – however debilitating – does not qualify unless there is a clearly identifiable external event that caused the injury, such as a forklift collision or being struck by workplace equipment. By contrast, pain that develops gradually from repetitive actions or manual handling tasks is not classed as an 'accident' for RIDDOR purposes.

• This critical distinction can lead to the reporting of 'workplace accidents' that don't qualify under RIDDOR rules.
• For example, a back condition that results in a three-week absence may still not be reportable under RIDDOR if it was not triggered by a single, identifiable incident.

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Confident reporting and compliant recordkeeping

While erroneous reporting doesn't carry legal penalties, it can affect your business's reputation, finances, and day-to-day operations – from weakened tender submissions to increased HSE inspections and higher insurance premiums.

In the majority of circumstances, the best approach is to clarify the nature of the injury, confirm it is genuinely work-related, and only report if the incident appears on the specified RIDDOR list.

In terms of timelines, you must notify the enforcing authority (either the HSE or your local authority) without undue delay and within ten days of the incident. To avoid making an unnecessary report, allow time to gather facts and establish the true nature of the accident. Situations can change, new information can come to light, and employees can return to work earlier than expected.

Critical exceptions include:

• Accidents that result in an employee being unable to carry out their regular work for more than seven consecutive days. These must be reported within 15 days. (The seven-day period excludes the day of the accident but includes weekends and rest days, not just Monday to Friday.)
• Workplace fatalities, which must be reported promptly (and are likely to be flagged to the HSE via the emergency services).

Where possible, use the legally allotted time to establish a cohesive account of the incident. Clear, detailed recordkeeping will work in your favour if the HSE or local authority initiates an investigation. As reporting is a legal requirement, your records must include the key facts of each incident. Key actions cover:

• Creating post-incident records – alongside your accident book – that summarise the accident, the personal details of those involved, and how it conforms to RIDDOR reporting guidelines.
• Gathering supporting evidence – including photos, witness statements, and medical reports – and routinely updating incident files as and when the situation changes.

Storing records on a cloud-based digital platform allows critical, time-stamped information to be centrally located, consistently updated, and quickly retrieved across a range of devices.

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Navigate complex RIDDOR requirements with our free download

Before you download, the key takeaways:

• RIDDOR reporting is a legal requirement for the responsible person – usually the employer or whoever controls the premises.
• Report work-related deaths and specified injuries without delay (with a report submitted within 10 days); report over-seven-day injuries within 15 days.
• Only report genuine, work-related incidents that meet RIDDOR's criteria – over-reporting can carry a cost too.
• Keep clear, time-stamped records of every incident, whether or not it turns out to be reportable.

In most cases, staying RIDDOR-compliant means putting precision before pace. Our free whitepaper – RIDDOR: Making Sense of Reporting Requirements – provides a deeper dive into the distorted data and potential pitfalls of unnecessary reporting.

Download your copy to protect your people, safeguard your business, and report with confidence.

Prefer to discuss your safety challenges with a qualified health and safety consultant? Our competent consultants can review your reporting duties and help you stay on the right side of the regulations. Talk to the team on 0330 043 4015 or email hello@opus-safety.co.uk.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible for RIDDOR reporting? The 'responsible person' – usually the employer (for incidents involving workers), the self-employed, or whoever is in control of the work premises. They must report the relevant incidents to the HSE or local authority.

Do all workplace accidents need to be reported? No. Only work-related accidents that meet RIDDOR's criteria are reportable – for example, deaths, specified injuries, over-seven-day injuries, certain diagnosed diseases, and dangerous occurrences. Minor injuries and incidents that are not work-related usually don't need a RIDDOR report.

How long do you have to report a RIDDOR incident? Deaths and specified injuries must be notified without delay, with a report submitted within 10 days of the incident. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days.

What happens if you report something unnecessarily? There's no legal penalty for over-reporting, but it can still affect your business – for example, through increased HSE scrutiny, weaker tender submissions, or higher insurance premiums. It's best to confirm an incident is genuinely reportable first.

Where do you submit a RIDDOR report? Most reports are made online through the HSE's RIDDOR reporting service. Fatal and major incidents can also be reported by telephone to the HSE.

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