Health and safety at work - workplace accidents

Workplace Accidents - What you need to do

Information on workplace accidents, what to do and who to notify

Relevant Legislation

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995

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 practicable 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).

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 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.

Helpful Information

• Workplace Accidents - Who to notify
• A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 - Guidance on Regulations. L73 1999
  ISBN 0-7176-2431-5 Price £7.95
• RIDDOR explained - The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 HSE 31(rev1)

Contact Details

For more information please contact Health & Safety

Telephone: 0121 704 6828

Email: safety@solihull.gov.uk