Our health and safety experts explain the legal obligations of RIDDOR reporting, including what incidents must be reported, who is responsible, and how long records should be kept.
What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR stands for the ‘Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013’, and is a set of regulations requiring employers, those that are self-employed and employees to report certain workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
RIDDOR exists to inform the HSE or other relevant local authority of an incident’s occurrence. The regulator can then ensure compliance or further investigate where necessary. It also allows the HSE or local authority to be kept informed of potential trends and keep records of incidents.
In criminal and regulatory law, RIDDOR is unique in that it imposes a statutory reporting requirement to notify the HSE, a criminal investigatory agency of an incident, which may lead to an eventual prosecution of a duty holder.
What is reportable under RIDDOR? (and what isn’t reportable)
It is not necessary for all incidents to be reported to the HSE; a RIDDOR report is usually needed when the accident is work-related and results in a reportable injury.
If a work-related incident results in a fatality, the death must be reported. If someone is subject to a work-related injury and dies of that injury within one year, this must also be reported as a work-related fatality. There are some exclusions to deaths; for example, suicides should not be reported, and a death of a self-employed person where the death occurs in a premises where they are the sole owner or occupier is not reportable under the regulations. Although suicide is presently excluded under RIDDOR, there are calls for suicide to be included within RIDDOR, if linked to work against the backdrop of increased scrutiny of managing stress and psychological harm.
Specified injuries under RIDDOR
Regulation 4 of RIDDOR outlines certain ‘specified injuries’ which must be reported. These are:
- Fractures (excluding fractures to fingers, thumbs and toes)
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Any injury likely to cause permanent blinding or reduction in sight in one or both eyes
- Any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs in the chest or abdomen
- Serious burns which cover more than 10% of the body or cause significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
- Scalping requiring hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
- Any injury arising from working in an enclosed space which leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
- Work-related accidents must also be reported where they lead to an employee or self- employed person being away from work or unable to do their normal work duties for more than 7 consecutive days
- Work-related accidents which result in over 3-day incapacitation, but less than 7-day incapacitation, do not need to be reported
- Accidents to members of the public, customers or volunteers must also be reported if they involve a work activity, result in an injury or the person is taken directly from an incident scene to hospital for treatment
Reporting of occupational diseases
Certain occupational diseases are reportable, in circumstances where these are likely to have been caused or worsened by work. Such diseases include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cramp of the hand or forearm
- Occupational dermatitis
- Hand-arm vibration syndrome
- Occupational asthma
- Tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or arm
Cancer must be reported where there is an established causal link between the cancer type and hazards a person has been exposed to through work. Reports are only necessary where the person’s work significantly increases risk of developing cancer.
All diseases must be reported where there is a causal link between an occupational exposure and biological agent. If there is reasonable evidence that occupational exposure was the likely cause of the disease, this is necessary. Infections within the community such as the flu are generally not reportable.
Distributors, fillers, importers and suppliers of flammable gas must report incidents where someone has died, lost consciousness or been taken to hospital in connection to an incident involving gas.
Record keeping
It is good practice for employers to also maintain a record of all non-reportable incidents for their own records.
What are the biggest causes of RIDDOR incidents?
There was a total of 61,663 employee non-fatal injuries reported by employers in 2023/2024 under RIDDOR. Of these non-fatal injuries, 31% were related to slips, trips or falls, 17% were due to handling, lifting or carrying, and 10% related to being struck by a moving object.
There were 124 fatal incidents reported under RIDDOR in 2024/2025. The construction industry saw the highest number of fatalities, with 35 deaths being reported. Agriculture, forestry and fishing followed at 23 deaths, with transportation and storage seeing 15 deaths. 95% of all workers fatally injured within that period were men. 35 of those deaths were falls from height, and 18 incidents were as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle. 92 members of the public were killed in work-related incidents in 2024/2025 under RIDDOR, an increase from 87 in the previous year. For a more detailed breakdown of the fatal incident statistics in this period, see James Muller’s article: Is Construction still the most dangerous sector to work in? HSE’s latest fatal accident statistics discussed.
Who should submit a RIDDOR report, and how long should records be kept?
The ‘responsible person’ should report a RIDDOR incident. This means employers, some self-employed individuals, or those in control of work premises when a reportable incident has occurred. An injured person should not report under RIDDOR (unless self-employed), nor should members of the public. The responsible person must submit notification of a RIDDOR reportable incident without delay, and in any event within 10 days of the incident. For incidents involving over seven-day incapacitation of an individual, notification must be made within 15 days of the incident. Appropriate forms are available on the HSE’s website.
Under the regulations, RIDDOR records must be kept for at least three years from the date such a record was made. This record must be kept at the place of work to which it relates is carried on, or the usual place of business of the responsible person.
If you require further advice or assistance on RIDDOR reporting and incident response support, please contact our specialist team of health and safety lawyers.
