When reporting accidents at work, you should make sure that your employer has followed the correct procedures and reported your accident appropriately under RIDDOR where this is required.
What is RIDDOR?
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) provide a structured approach on how accidents at work should be reported by employers.
The rules apply to every workplace, meaning that the employer must report accidents that result in:-
1. The death of an employee;
2. Cause serious injuries (known as ‘reportable injuries’);
3. A diagnosis of certain industrial diseases; and
4. Dangerous occurrences/ near misses with the potential to cause harm.
You can access the full list of reportable injuries on HSE’s website: Reportable incidents - RIDDOR - HSE.
The employer is deemed under this legislation to be a ‘responsible person’ and must know what the RIDDOR regulations say. This includes when and how to report an incident. Whilst employees do not have a legal responsibility to report incidents under RIDDOR, they do have a duty to report them to the appropriate person.
The employer has a duty to report all RIDDOR reportable incidents in a timely manner. They must provide the date and time of the accident; where it took place; who was involved and a description of what happened. After the report has been filed, an investigation should be carried out by an impartial person and someone who understands health and safety regulations. The investigation should help to determine whether the accident was avoidable and what new measures need to be put in place to prevent similar accidents from occurring.
The RIDDOR report is sent to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and this is a vital step in helping to reduce the number of accidents that happen at work. The reporting provides the government with useful information so that they can assess where and how most accidents at work happen.
How Can Timms Help?
Sadly, even with many preventative measures in places, accidents and dangerous occurrences can still take place at work. If you have suffered an accident at work and would like to pursue a claim for personal injury, please contact our friendly and dedicated team on freephone 0800 011 6666 or via email at legal@timms-law.com.
