What Is a RIDDOR Reportable Incident? A Plain-English Guide

Key Takeaways

• RIDDOR applies to specific work-related deaths, injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences.
• The responsible person must submit a report where the circumstances described in the above criteria for reporting an incident have occurred.
• Accurate records and timely action will help support your RIDDOR compliance and assist with ensuring that your workplace is safe.

Introduction

While not all workplace accidents need to be reported under RIDDOR, it is crucial for employers to understand when a report is required in order to react in the correct manner, maintain accurate records, and ensure the safety of their workforce. In order to achieve effective RIDDOR compliance and to manage reporting responsibilities, employers can use a combination of RIDDOR compliance software and accident report software to effectively organise and investigate incidents and record details.

This guide will inform you of the types of incidents that need to be reported under the RIDDOR regulations as well as the steps you need to take following an incident.

What Is a RIDDOR Reportable Incident?

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. These regulations require responsible people to report certain work-related incidents to the relevant enforcing authority, usually the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the local authority.

Not every accident or near miss qualifies. An incident must meet the specific reporting criteria set out in the regulations.

For example, a worker suffering a specified injury in a work-related accident may trigger a reporting duty. A dangerous occurrence, such as a qualifying incident involving lifting equipment, may also be reportable even if nobody is injured.

The purpose of reporting is to help the relevant authority understand serious workplace incidents and monitor compliance with health and safety legislation.

Which Incidents Must Be Reported Under RIDDOR?

Different categories of incidents come under RIDDOR.

• Death connected to work: It must be reported under RIDDOR when the death of a person arises out of or in connection with work.
• Reported should be certain specified major injuries to workers: joint fractures-such as those other than to fingers, thumbs, or toes-amputations, and specified burns or eye injuries.
• When someone is absent from work for over seven continuous days besides the day of the accident.
• Injuries to non-workers: Some injuries to members of the public or other non-workers are reportable in the event of a work-related accident in which medical treatment is taken directly from the accident scene to hospital.
• Occupational diseases: Some diagnosed conditions arising from work against which specified criteria are fulfilled must be reported.
• Dangerous occurrences: Specified events require reporting when evidence indicates serious injury and may include certain lifting equipment failures and electric incidents.

At all times, verify against the HSE official guidance to decide if the incident falls into a reportable category.

Who Is Responsible for Making a RIDDOR Report?

The responsible person has the legal duty to report a qualifying incident. Depending on the circumstances, this may be an employer, a self-employed person or someone in control of work premises.

Employees should promptly inform the appropriate manager or safety representative about an incident. The responsible person must then assess whether it meets the reporting criteria.

Reporting duties do not depend on proving that someone was at fault. The important considerations include the circumstances of the incident, its connection with work, and the outcome.

How Should Employers Report a RIDDOR Incident?

Employers should first ensure that anyone affected receives appropriate assistance and that the immediate risks are controlled. They should then establish what happened, collect relevant information and determine whether RIDDOR applies.

Where reporting is required, the responsible person should use the appropriate HSE online reporting service. Different forms apply to injuries, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases.

Deadlines depend on the incident category. Fatalities and specified injuries must be reported without delay, while over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the accident. Other categories have their own requirements, so employers should check the relevant guidance.

Keep a record of the incident, the report submitted and any subsequent investigation. RIDDOR compliance software can help organise these records, while accident report software can support evidence collection, follow-up actions and internal communication.

Digital tools can make information easier to retrieve, but they do not replace the responsible person's legal duty to assess and report incidents correctly.

How Can Businesses Avoid Common RIDDOR Reporting Mistakes?

Common mistakes include assuming every workplace accident is reportable, overlooking injuries that develop into qualifying absences, missing reporting deadlines and confusing internal incident records with formal RIDDOR notifications.

To reduce these risks, establish a clear reporting procedure, train relevant managers and review incidents promptly. Record the date, location, people involved, circumstances, injury details and actions taken. Protect personal information and restrict access to authorised personnel.

Using riddor compliance software alongside accident report software can help standardise reporting workflows, maintain an audit trail and track corrective actions. However, staff must still understand the regulations and verify reporting decisions against official guidance.

How Can SiteChief Support Better Incident Management?

Managing incidents effectively requires more than completing a form. Businesses need a consistent way to record events, investigate causes and follow corrective actions through to completion.

SiteChief offers incident management features designed to support incident reporting, investigations, RIDDOR categorisation and corrective action tracking. Its platform can help businesses organise safety information and manage reporting workflows in one place.

For organisations looking to improve their approach to workplace safety, SiteChief provides a practical way to support more structured incident management while keeping legal reporting responsibilities clear.

FAQs

1. Does every workplace accident need a RIDDOR report?

No. Only incidents meeting specific RIDDOR criteria must be reported. Other accidents may still need to be recorded internally.

2. Are near misses reportable under RIDDOR?

Only certain dangerous occurrences that meet the regulatory definitions are reportable. An ordinary near miss is not automatically reportable.

3. Who submits a RIDDOR report?

The responsible person, such as an employer or another qualifying duty-holder, must submit the report when the legal criteria are met.

4. Can software automatically ensure RIDDOR compliance?

Software can help organise records, guide reporting workflows and track actions. However, it cannot guarantee compliance without appropriate human judgement and checks against current HSE guidance.