RIDDOR Explained: When and How to Report Workplace Accidents in the UK

Getting a RIDDOR report wrong — or failing to submit one at all — is one of the most common health and safety compliance failures for UK small businesses. The consequences range from improvement notices to prosecution. This guide explains the system clearly so you know exactly what you need to do and when.

What Is RIDDOR?

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It is the legal framework that requires employers, the self-employed, and those in control of work premises to report certain serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

RIDDOR reports create a national picture of workplace safety. They also create a formal record that may be relevant in any subsequent investigation or civil claim.

What Must Be Reported?

Not every workplace accident requires a RIDDOR report. You only need to report incidents that fall into specific categories.

Deaths. All work-related deaths must be reported, including deaths of workers, non-workers (members of the public, visitors, contractors), and self-employed people working on your premises.

Specified injuries to workers. These are defined injuries serious enough to warrant automatic reporting:

• Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs, or toes
• Amputations
• Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
• Crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
• Serious burns (covering more than 10% of the body, or damaging the eyes, respiratory system, or other vital organs)
• Scalping injuries requiring hospital treatment
• Loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
• Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space that leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Over-7-day incapacitation. If a worker is unable to perform their normal work duties for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident), this must be reported. Note that this is different from the over-3-day incapacitation threshold, which you must record internally but not report to the HSE.

Non-worker injuries. If a member of the public or other non-worker is injured as a result of a work-related accident and is taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment, this must be reported.

Occupational diseases. Certain diagnoses in workers must be reported when linked to work activity, including carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, and tendonitis.

Dangerous occurrences. These are near-miss events that did not result in injury but had the potential for serious harm — for example, the collapse of a scaffold, an explosion, or the failure of a lifting device.

Reporting Deadlines

Deadlines depend on the type of incident:

• Deaths and specified injuries: Report as soon as practicable, and in any event within 10 days of the incident
• Over-7-day incapacitation: Report within 15 days of the accident date
• Dangerous occurrences: Report as soon as practicable
• Occupational diseases: Report as soon as you receive a diagnosis confirming the condition is work-related

Missing these deadlines is an offence in itself, separate from any failure relating to the underlying incident.

How to Report to the HSE

All RIDDOR reports must be submitted online via the HSE website at riddor.hse.gov.uk. The online system is available 24 hours a day. For fatal and specified injuries only, you may also call the RIDDOR Reporting Line: 0345 300 9923 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm).

Reports submitted by post, email, or other means are not accepted.

When submitting a report you will need to provide details including the name of the injured person, the date, time and location of the incident, a brief description of what happened, and the nature of the injury or condition. Prepare this information before starting the online form.

Record-Keeping Requirements

Even for incidents that do not require a RIDDOR report — such as over-3-day incapacitation or minor injuries — you must keep an internal record. This can be a physical accident book, a spreadsheet, or a purpose-built incident management system.

For RIDDOR-reportable incidents, you must keep a record of the report for at least three years. The HSE may ask to see these records during an inspection.

Your accident records serve another practical purpose: they allow you to identify patterns. If the same type of injury keeps occurring in the same location, that is a signal that your risk assessment and control measures need to be revisited.

Common Mistakes

Confusing over-3-day and over-7-day thresholds. Over-3-day incapacitation must be recorded. Over-7-day must also be reported to the HSE. Many businesses record both but only report the latter.

Failing to report non-worker injuries. If a customer slips and is taken to hospital, that is a RIDDOR-reportable event even though the injured person is not your employee.

Delaying reports. A serious injury that happened on Friday does not mean the report can wait until Monday. The 10-day clock starts from the incident date, not the next working day.