RIDDOR checker

What RIDDOR is

RIDDOR — the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 — requires the responsible person (the employer, a self-employed person, or whoever is in control of the premises) to report certain work-related deaths, injuries, occupational diseases and “dangerous occurrences” to the HSE. The injured person never makes the report themselves. Most reports are made online at hse.gov.uk/riddor; deaths and major incidents should be notified by phone without delay.

The deadlines

The over-7-day counting rule

A worker's injury becomes reportable if they are unable to do their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days. Count the days from the day after the accident — the day of the accident itself does not count — and include weekends and rest days, not just working days. So an accident on a Monday that keeps someone off normal duties through to the following Tuesday (8 days, counting from the Tuesday after) is reportable. The separate over-3-day rule still requires an entry in the accident book, but only the over-7-day cases need a RIDDOR report.

Accident book vs RIDDOR

These are two different duties. Every workplace with ten or more employees must keep an accident book and record injuries in it — that's an internal record and a legal requirement under social-security rules. RIDDOR is a separate report to the HSE, only for the more serious categories above. Many recorded accidents never need a RIDDOR report; a RIDDOR report does not replace the accident-book entry. When in doubt, record it internally and check whether it also needs reporting.

Common myths

• “Every accident has to be reported to HSE.” No — most injuries are recorded in the accident book but are not RIDDOR reportable. Only deaths, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation, certain non-worker hospital cases, listed dangerous occurrences and listed diseases are reportable.
• “Near misses are always reportable.” Generally not. A near miss is only reportable if it matches one of the listed dangerous occurrences in Schedule 2 (for example a scaffold collapse or a lifting-equipment failure). Other near misses should be logged internally and acted on, but don't go to HSE.
• “The injured person reports it.” No — the responsible person reports. The worker who was hurt never files their own RIDDOR report.
• “A trip to A&E always means a report.” For a non-worker it's reportable only if they were taken to hospital for treatment of the injury; for a worker it depends on whether the injury is a specified injury or leads to over-7-day incapacitation.

If you're not sure

This checker is guidance, not legal advice, and it can't cover every situation. Where a case is borderline, use the official guidance or call the HSE incident reporting line for fatal and major incidents — it is always safer to check. Full guidance and the online report form are at hse.gov.uk/riddor, and the regulations are RIDDOR 2013 (SI 2013/1471).