RIDDOR meaning: what is reportable, and what is not

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It requires employers in Great Britain, and people in control of work premises, to report work-related deaths, specified injuries, injuries that keep a worker off for more than seven days, listed occupational diseases and certain dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority. Everything else, including many injuries that feel serious at the time, should be recorded in house but not reported to the enforcing authorities.

What RIDDOR means, and who has to report

The legal duty to report sits with the "responsible person" under regulation 3 of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. For an injury to an employee, that is the employer. For an injury to a member of the public or a self-employed contractor, it is the person who controls the premises where it happened.

Whoever runs health and safety on the site may make the report, but the duty stays with the organisation, so a report that nobody files is still the employer's failure.

HSE consulted on changes to RIDDOR between April and June 2026, covering clearer definitions, more reportable diseases and a simpler form. As at September 2026 none of the proposed changes has been made, and the 2013 Regulations are the law. Our summary of the consultation sets out what may change.

What is reportable under RIDDOR

Six kinds of incident are reportable. Each has its own test and its own deadline.

What happened	Test in the Regulations	Deadline
A death	Any person dies as a result of a work-related accident (regulation 6 of RIDDOR 2013)	Notify without delay, report within 10 days
A specified injury to a worker	One of the eight injuries listed in regulation 4(1) of RIDDOR 2013, such as a fracture	Notify without delay, report within 10 days
An over-seven-day injury	A worker is incapacitated for routine work for more than seven consecutive days, excluding the day of the accident (regulation 4(2) of RIDDOR 2013)	Report within 15 days of the accident
An injury to a non-worker	The person is taken from the site to hospital for treatment of the injury (regulation 5 of RIDDOR 2013)	Notify without delay, report within 10 days
An occupational disease	You receive a diagnosis of one of the conditions listed in regulations 8 and 9 of RIDDOR 2013	Report without delay once you have the diagnosis
A dangerous occurrence	An event listed in Schedule 2 to RIDDOR 2013, whether or not anyone was hurt	Notify without delay, report within 10 days

The eight specified injuries in regulation 4(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 are: a fracture diagnosed by a doctor, other than to a finger, thumb or toe; an amputation; an injury likely to cause permanent loss of sight; a crush injury to the head or torso damaging the brain or internal organs; a burn covering more than 10% of the body, or damaging the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs; scalping that needs hospital treatment; loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia; and an injury from working in an enclosed space that leads to heat illness or hypothermia, or needs resuscitation or more than 24 hours in hospital.

Violence counts. The Regulations define an accident to include "an act of non-consensual physical violence done to a person at work", so an assault on a member of staff is reportable when the injury meets one of the tests above.

The diseases are the ones your own work can cause. In a joinery shop, a builders merchant or a manufacturing site, that means occupational asthma from wood dust, hand arm vibration syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome from vibrating tools, and occupational dermatitis from skin irritants. Regulation 9 of RIDDOR 2013 adds any cancer attributed to an occupational carcinogen and any disease attributed to a biological agent at work.

Dangerous occurrences are the near misses the law names. In a yard or warehouse, the entry to know is the first in Schedule 2 to RIDDOR 2013: "the collapse, overturning or failure of any load-bearing part of any lifting equipment". A forklift mast failing or a crane overturning is reportable even if nobody was near it. Others include plant touching or arcing to an overhead power line above 200 volts, a scaffold collapse, and an explosion or fire.

What is not reportable under RIDDOR

The exclusions are specific.

• A broken finger, thumb or toe is excluded from the specified injuries. It becomes reportable if it keeps the worker off routine work for more than seven days.
• An injury that keeps someone off for four to seven days is recorded in your accident book and kept on file. Regulation 12 of RIDDOR 2013 requires a record of any incapacity lasting more than three consecutive days, and no report to HSE.
• A road traffic accident is outside RIDDOR under regulation 14 of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, with four exceptions: an accident involving a train, exposure to a substance the vehicle was carrying, loading or unloading the vehicle, and work on or alongside the road itself. A delivery driver injured while unloading at a customer's site is reportable.
• Injury from medical or dental treatment carried out by, or under the supervision of, a registered doctor or dentist is excluded from the injury reporting duties.
• Members of the public treated at the scene, or who make their own way to hospital later, fall outside regulation 5 of RIDDOR 2013, which applies when the person is taken directly from the site to hospital for treatment.
• Conditions missing from regulations 8 and 9 of RIDDOR 2013 are outside the disease duties. Back pain, for example, is reportable only as an injury, when an accident causes it and it meets the seven-day test.

If you are unsure, the cost of checking is small. A late report, or no report at all, is the kind of gap an HSE visit following an incident may examine.

How and when to make a RIDDOR report

For deaths, specified injuries, injuries to non-workers and dangerous occurrences, Schedule 1 to RIDDOR 2013 sets two steps: notify the enforcing authority "by the quickest practicable means without delay", then send the report within 10 days. Over-seven-day injuries have 15 days from the accident. Reports are made through HSE's RIDDOR reporting page.

Keep a record of every reportable incident and every over-three-day injury for at least three years, at the site or at your usual place of business. That record is what an inspector may ask to see, and it is where you can show that a four-day absence was recorded and correctly left unreported.

After the report, work out why it happened, which is what an accident investigation is for. Our step-by-step guide covers how to make the report itself, and our RIDDOR reporting service handles the decision, the report and the record for you.

Frequently asked questions

What does RIDDOR stand for? RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, the law that sets which workplace incidents must be reported to the enforcing authority in Great Britain.

Is a broken finger reportable under RIDDOR? Only if it keeps the worker off routine work for more than seven consecutive days. Fractures to fingers, thumbs and toes are excluded from the specified injuries in regulation 4(1) of RIDDOR 2013.

What are the categories reported under RIDDOR? Deaths, specified injuries, over-seven-day injuries, injuries to non-workers taken to hospital, listed occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences.

What is the difference between COSHH and RIDDOR? COSHH requires you to assess and control exposure to hazardous substances before anyone is harmed. RIDDOR requires you to report certain harm once it has happened. Occupational asthma or dermatitis diagnosed in an exposed worker is reportable under RIDDOR, and is also a sign your COSHH assessment needs another look.

Is violence at work reportable under RIDDOR? Yes, when it causes a reportable injury. The Regulations define an accident to include non-consensual physical violence done to a person at work.

How long do I have to report under RIDDOR? Notify without delay and report within 10 days for deaths, specified injuries, injuries to non-workers and dangerous occurrences. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the accident.

Do near misses have to be reported under RIDDOR? Only the ones listed as dangerous occurrences in Schedule 2 to RIDDOR 2013, such as the failure of lifting equipment or contact with an overhead power line. Other near misses are worth recording and investigating, but they are outside the reporting duty.