Accident Reporting in the Workplace

Incidents are never nice. And, no matter how many measures you have in place, sometimes there’s just no stopping them from happening.

What’s important though, is putting the right processes in place to avoid them as best you can, reporting the right amount – when needed, and doing everything in your power to prevent them from happening again. Sounds simpler than it is, right?

Well, that’s where we come in. When it comes to Health & Safety, we’re the experts in our arena. We’ll work with you to create safe working practices. We’ll let you know when incidents need escalating – and why. We’ll show you how to report incidents – legally. We’ll put measures in place to prevent the same thing happening twice. And if there’s a serious incident on your site, we’ll support you through the entire process.

And the buck doesn’t stop there. With us by your side, you’ll have an ever-growing list of online training courses at your fingertips, around the clock access to industry-leading Health & Safety consultants, and a means to easily log any incidents on our online management platform, Atlas.

To find out more about our Health & Safety support, simply fill in the form opposite. We provide Health & Safety services for Manchester businesses and SMEs across the UK.

RIDDOR Reporting

  • RIDDOR reporting categories

    The seven reportable categories under RIDDOR are:

    • Deaths
    • Specified injuries
    • Injuries of over seven consecutive days
    • Injuries to people not at work
    • Some work-related diseases
    • Dangerous occurrences
    • Gas incidents
  • How should accidents be reported in the workplace?

    How an accident is reported really depends on the workplace itself but, as standard, all accidents in the workplace should be recorded in an accident book or other means, in line with the requirements set out by GDPR and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We can help you keep track of incidents and accidents easily, with our handy software Atlas – see more here

  • When must I report an accident to the HSE?

    Certain incidents are reportable to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). These include:

    – Death
    – Specified injuries (such as amputations)
    – Over seven-day incapacitations
    – Occupational diseases (such as occupational asthma)
    – Dangerous occurrences such as the collapse, overturning or failure of lifting equipment
    – Gas incidents

  • Who is responsible for reporting an accident on-site?

    The responsibility rests with the employer if an accident needs to be reported to the HSE. Reporting an accident on-site is often the responsibility of the site manager or most senior person present.
    The person responsible for reporting an accident, both internally and to the HSE, should be set out in an organisation’s Health & Safety policy.

  • What are the consequences of not reporting an injury at work?

    An employer is legally required to report any injuries that occur in the workplace. If they fail to do so, it could result in legal action and even prosecution.

  • What are the common causes of workplace accidents?

    The most common non-fatal injuries to employees (as reported by employers) in 2020/21 were:
    Slips, trips and falls (33%)
    Heavy lifting (18%)
    Being struck by a moving object (10%)

So, not every incident is reportable, and it’s important to know the difference between what does and doesn’t need reporting. If you unnecessarily report an incident or accident, you could open the floodgates for enforcing authorities to put a magnifying glass on your business.

For a closer look at each of the categories and for some examples of RIDDOR-reportable accidents, incidents and diseases, head here.

Non-reportable incidents

We’d always recommend logging incidents and accidents that aren’t reportable under RIDDOR too, preferably in a company accident book. Why? There are three main reasons for this.

Firstly, it helps prevent similar instances from happening again by putting the spotlight on your internal processes and risk assessment compliance procedures. This improves your business’ overall safety.

Secondly, it gives you an audit trail of what happened to fall back on if an injured person goes on to lodge a claim against you.

And third, it gives you something to refer to if an enforcing authority requests supporting documents during an inspection.

For a step-by-step look at your legal requirements and exactly how to report an accident, check out our six-stage guide.

Accident reporting in the workplace: the law

When it comes to accident reporting, your legal obligations are governed by the Management of Health and Safety at Work (MHSW) Regulations 1999 and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013.

As we touched on earlier, to be compliant with RIDDOR, there are specified workplace incidents you must report to the HSE.

The MHSW Regulations, however, cover all the stages you should be taking to prevent incidents and accidents in the first place. How? In a nutshell, the MHSW requires you to assess and manage all risks that arise from any work-related activity.

So, this means taking all reasonable steps to ensure incidents and accidents are avoided in the first place by:

  • Appointing a competent person and/or advisor to assist with the implementation and management of safety within the workplace
  • Conducting, communicating and reviewing risk assessments
  • Drawing up method statements to demonstrate your safe working practices
  • Putting Health & Safety handbooks and policies in place – that are clearly communicated, understood and acknowledged
  • Ensuring employees are up-to-date with relevant Health & Safety training
  • Providing employees with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Making sure all your equipment and machinery is fit for purpose, regularly maintained and fitted with things like machine guarding where necessary
  • Only allowing employees to carry out tasks if they’re competent to do so

Get more information

Get advice from Citation

Whether it’s a near-miss or dangerous occurrence that results in someone being injured at work, Citation is here to help. We’ll support you with everything from creating your accident reporting policy to correctly reporting to the HSE or your other local authorities.

You’ll receive instant access to Atlas, our online platform. This will give you a step-by-step incident log facility, where you can record everything from photos and witness statements to relevant risk assessments and training certificates.

And, if it’s RIDDOR-reportable, it’ll take you directly to the HSE’s reporting system and give you access to lots of guidance documents.

Why is our Health & Safety support trusted by over 16,000 UK businesses?

We build safer workplaces

Fancy being 47 times less likely to face an enforcement notice, 75% less likely to have a reportable accident, and seven times less likely to suffer a major injury in the workplace*? Join our clients and get that kind of security!

We take care of the worry, so you can get back to work

92% of our clients have more peace of mind from working with us**. So you get to focus on what matters most to you, and we’ll take care of the rest.

We’ve done our homework

Our Health & Safety consultants are either qualified members of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) or the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). Basically, we know our stuff!

We put more time on the clock

You don’t need more hours in the day to tackle your to-do list. You just need more time spent on what matters to you and your business – and 85% of our clients say they save that kind of valuable time**.

*versus national averages.

**Based on a 2022 survey of over 600 Citation clients

Why choose Citation?

Citation has over 20 years of Health & Safety experience, which means you’re working with experienced and dedicated Health & Safety consultants.

We’ll equip you with all the knowledge you need to be able to confidently carry out accident reporting, as well as risk assessments for the future, and support you with managing the process as your business changes and grows.

If you’d like more information on managing your Health & Safety or getting the support of our experts, get in touch with the team today.

The consultants we work with are absolutely superb – we never have to worry about Employment Law.

Sue Anderson, Finance Director Pendle Doors

The experts from Citation came in and implemented all of the legal documentation we needed to be fully compliant.

Gaynor Thomas, Business Development Manager Wilmslow Glass

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