The Commercial Services Section investigates certain types of
workplace accidents. For more information use the links
below.
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What do I need to do if someone has
an accident on my premises? | Non-reportable accidents, incidents and
occurrences | Accident and
Incident Investigation |When
a reportable accident occurs on my premises, who do I need to
notify?.
What do I need to do if someone has an accident on my
premises?
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) place duties on employers and people in
control of premises to report certain work-related incidents to
their relevant enforcing authority. Therefore, when an
accident occurs on your premises, you must establish promptly
whether the matter is one of those that must, by law be officially
notified.
If any of the following occur, and arise 'out of or in
connection with a work activity', they must be reported to the
enforcing authority by the quickest possible means:
- the death of any person as a result of an accident, whether or
not they are at work;
- someone who is at work suffers a major injury as a result of an
accident (major injuries are listed in Schedule 1 to the
Regulations, including - fractures (other than fingers/toes),
amputations, etc);
- someone who is not at work (eg a member of the
public/guest/customer) suffers an injury as a result of an accident
and is taken from the scene to a hospital;
- one of a list of specified dangerous occurrences takes place.
(Dangerous occurrences are events which do not necessarily result
in a reportable injury, but have the potential to cause significant
harm - Schedule 2).
The telephone notification should be followed up in writing
within ten days of the accident occurring. The statutory form for
accident reporting is an F2508.
The following incidents, again in connection with a work
activity, should be notified in writing within ten days on an F2508
form:
- someone at work is unable to do the full range of their normal
duties for more than three consecutive days as a result of an
injury caused by an accident at work;
- a person at work suffers one of a number of specified diseases,
provided that a doctor diagnoses the disease and the persons job
involves a specified work activity. (The corresponding work
activities are set out in Schedule 3).
Use the link to '
Who I
need to notify' for details on how to inform the authority
of a reportable accident.
Non-reportable accidents, incidents and occurrences.
You should ensure that an accident book is provided and
maintained to record details of all accidents
occurring on your premises. You should ensure that personal
details remain confidential in accordance with the Data Protection
Act. You should record the following details:
- date and time of the incident;
- full name, address and occupation of the person(s)
involved;
- nature of the injury;
- location of the incident and a brief description of the
circumstances;
- name (and if necessary, address) of any witnesses;
- details of the person making the report, and the time/date the
report was made.
It is recommended that the accident book be reviewed
periodically to ensure that reportable accidents are not missed,
and to identify possible trends in accident occurrences. It
is also recommended that 'near miss' incidents are recorded and
reviewed, as these indicate where accidents are likely and if acted
upon, can prevent injuries.
Accident and Incident Investigation
A key feature of effective health and safety management is to
examine all unsafe events, and the behaviours which give rise to
them. Accidents, ill-health and incidents are seldom random
events. They generally arise from failures of control and
involve many different elements. A good accident
investigation will identify both immediate and underlying
causes. Immediate causes include the job being done and the
people involved. Underlying causes are the management and
organisational factors which help to explain why the event
occurred.
The investigation of near miss incidents is a good proactive
way of preventing injury and therefore cost effective to
businesses. An investigation should be led by someone with
the knowledge and status to make authoritative recommendations
(usually a line manager). Adequate training in the relevant
techniques should be given. A good investigation will be
prompt and thorough, and will recommend and assign remedial
actions. Once the evidence has been assembled and considered,
findings should be compared with the appropriate legal, industry
and company standards, and conclusions drawn. The findings
should be implemented and progress tracked.
Where you have any doubt as to whether or not to report an
accident or incident, you should contact your local enforcing
authority for clarification.
When a reportable accident occurs on my premises, who do I need
to notify?
Employers are required by the above Regulations to report
certain incidents occurring at work.
Under previous arrangements, reports had to be sent directly
to the enforcing authority where the incident occurred (either the
Health and Safety Executive [HSE] or local authority for that
area). However, on 1 April 2001, the HSE launched a new
incident reporting service - the Incident Contact Centre (ICC) This
centre will now act as a central point to which all employers and
businesses throughout the UK can report work-related health and
safety incidents, irrespective of their location.
The department recommends that you use this system, however if
you prefer to contact the department direct you may so. Contact
details for the ICC are as follows:
- by post ICC, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, South Wales,
CF83 3GG
- by telephone 0845-300-9923
- by fax 0845-300-9924
- by email riddor@natbrit.com
- via internet www.riddor.gov.uk
The telephone service is open from 0830 until 1700
weekdays, whilst the internet, email and fax services are
available 24 hours a day. Employers using the telephone or
internet/email services will receive a copy of their report to
ensure details are correct, and to provide them with a record to
keep.
If you require further information or advice regarding
accident reporting, or the new reporting arrangements, please
contact us for clarification.