RIDDOR does not require you to report every accident. It requires you to report specific, serious ones — and the mistakes are almost always at the edges: reporting things that do not qualify, or missing the clock on things that do. Getting it right is mostly a matter of knowing three things: what counts, who reports, and by when.
This guide sets out exactly that, in plain terms.
What RIDDOR is
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It places a legal duty on certain people to report defined workplace incidents to the enforcing authority — usually the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or the local authority for lower-risk premises like shops and offices.
The purpose is not to punish. RIDDOR data tells the HSE where and how serious harm is happening, so enforcement and guidance can be aimed where it is needed. But reporting is a legal requirement, and failing to report a reportable incident is an offence.
Who must report
The duty falls on the “responsible person”, which means:
- Employers, for incidents involving their employees
- Self-employed people, in some circumstances
- People in control of work premises, for incidents involving self-employed people working there, or members of the public
Crucially, the injured person does not report — the responsible person does. An employee who breaks their leg at work does not file the RIDDOR report; their employer does.
What must be reported
This is where care is needed. RIDDOR covers five categories.
1. Deaths
Any death arising from a work-related accident — a worker or a member of the public — must be reported. This does not include suicides, or deaths from natural causes unless the work caused them.
2. Specified injuries to workers
A defined list of the most serious injuries, including:
- Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and 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 requiring hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
- Injury from working in an enclosed space leading to hypothermia, heat illness, or resuscitation/hospital admission for more than 24 hours
3. Over-seven-day injuries
Where a worker is incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days as a result of a work accident — unable to do their normal work — this must be reported. The seven days do not include the day of the accident but do include weekends and rest days.
The trap here: there is a separate recording duty for injuries causing more than three days’ incapacitation. Those must be recorded (for example in the accident book) but not reported. Over three days = record. Over seven days = record and report.
4. Occupational diseases
Certain work-related diseases, when diagnosed by a doctor and where the work is a significant cause, including occupational dermatitis, occupational asthma, hand-arm vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome from vibrating tools, and certain occupational cancers.
5. Dangerous occurrences
Specified near-miss events that could have caused serious harm even though they did not — such as the collapse of load-bearing equipment, an uncontrolled release or escape of a substance, an explosion, or the failure of a lifting device. There is a defined list of these.
By when — the timescales that catch people out
| Incident | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Death or specified injury | Report without delay (by phone for fatalities/major incidents), and submit the report within 10 days |
| Over-seven-day injury | Within 15 days of the accident |
| Dangerous occurrence | Within 10 days |
| Occupational disease | As soon as the responsible person receives the diagnosis |
Most reports are made online through the HSE’s RIDDOR reporting site. Fatalities and specified injuries can also be reported by telephone.
What is NOT reportable
Just as important as what is:
- Minor injuries — cuts, bruises, sprains that keep someone off for seven days or fewer
- Injuries to members of the public that do not result in them being taken to hospital for treatment (public injuries are reportable only if the person is taken directly to hospital for treatment of the injury)
- Road traffic accidents on public roads, in most cases (these fall under road traffic law, with specific exceptions such as loading/unloading or work alongside the road)
- Incidents with no work connection — someone who faints from an unrelated medical condition
Over-reporting is not neutral: it wastes time and muddies your own records. Knowing the boundaries is part of getting it right.
Records — separate from reporting
You must keep a record of any reportable incident, and of over-three-day injuries. The record must be kept for at least three years and include the date and method of reporting, the date, time and place of the event, personal details of those involved, and a brief description.
Because these records contain personal data, they must be stored in line with UK GDPR — the accident book left open on a counter is a data protection problem as well as a records one.
Five common RIDDOR mistakes
- Thinking the injured person reports. The responsible person does.
- Confusing the three-day and seven-day rules. Three days to record, seven days to report.
- Missing the 15-day clock on over-seven-day injuries because the initial injury looked minor.
- Not reporting dangerous occurrences because “no one was hurt” — the whole point is the near miss.
- Over-reporting minor injuries, which suggests the reporter does not know the thresholds.
Further reading
- HSE — RIDDOR
- HSE INDG453 — Reporting accidents and incidents at work
- HSE — How to make a RIDDOR report
Frequently asked questions
What does RIDDOR stand for?
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It places a legal duty on the responsible person to report defined serious workplace incidents to the HSE, or to the local authority for lower-risk premises such as shops and offices.
Who is responsible for making a RIDDOR report?
The ‘responsible person’ — usually the employer, sometimes a self-employed person, or the person in control of the premises. The injured person does not make the report; the responsible person does. An employee injured at work does not file the RIDDOR report themselves.
What injuries are reportable under RIDDOR?
Deaths from work accidents; specified injuries such as fractures other than to fingers, thumbs and toes, amputations, loss of sight, serious burns, crush injuries to the head or torso, scalping and loss of consciousness; over-seven-day injuries where a worker is incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days; certain occupational diseases; and specified dangerous occurrences.
What is the difference between the three-day and seven-day RIDDOR rules?
An injury that keeps a worker off their normal work for more than three consecutive days must be recorded, for example in the accident book, but not reported. An injury causing more than seven consecutive days’ incapacitation must be both recorded and reported to the HSE within 15 days of the accident.
What are the RIDDOR reporting deadlines?
Deaths and specified injuries must be reported without delay and the report submitted within 10 days. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the accident. Dangerous occurrences must be reported within 10 days. Occupational diseases must be reported as soon as the responsible person receives the diagnosis.
Are injuries to members of the public reportable under RIDDOR?
An injury to a member of the public from a work-related accident is reportable only if the person is taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment of the injury. Minor injuries to the public that do not result in hospital treatment are not reportable.
RIDDOR and accident reporting training
Our RIDDOR Awareness course covers what is reportable, who reports, the timescales, and how to make a report. For the wider process, Accident Reporting and Investigation.
Related: Risk assessment: what UK law requires · COSHH Awareness
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100 % online, verifiable e-certificate on completion. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
Please note: this is a CPD-accredited awareness course and general information, not legal advice. RIDDOR categories and timescales reflect the 2013 Regulations and current HSE guidance; always check the current HSE guidance and, where an incident is serious or its status is unclear, take advice. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification.