What RIDDOR covers
RIDDOR 2013 (SI 2013/1471) replaced the earlier RIDDOR 1995. It requires responsible persons - typically employers, self-employed persons, or persons in control of premises - to notify the HSE of certain workplace accidents, work-related diseases, and dangerous occurrences.
In construction, RIDDOR applies to: injuries to employees and workers on your site; injuries to self-employed contractors working under your control; and injuries to members of the public resulting from construction activity. The construction sector consistently accounts for a significant proportion of all RIDDOR reports, reflecting the physical nature of the work and the severity of injuries that construction accidents can cause.
What must be reported
RIDDOR requires reporting of four categories of event:
- Deaths - any work-related death of an employee, contractor, or member of the public
- Specified injuries - a defined list of serious injuries to workers
- Over-seven-day injuries - injuries causing more than seven consecutive days of incapacity (excluding the accident day)
- Dangerous occurrences - specified near-miss events from a statutory list
- Work-related diseases - specific occupational diseases when confirmed by a doctor
Specified injuries explained
Specified injuries are serious injuries that must be reported regardless of the number of days off work they cause. Under RIDDOR 2013, specified injuries include:
- A fracture (other than to a finger, thumb or toe)
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Any injury diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner as likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight in one or both eyes
- Any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
- Any burn injury covering more than 10% of the body, or causing significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
- Any degree of scalping requiring hospital treatment
- Any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
- Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which leads to hypothermia, heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
Over-seven-day injuries
If a worker is incapacitated and unable to carry out their normal work for more than seven consecutive days following a workplace accident - not counting the day of the accident itself - the injury must be reported to the HSE within 15 days of the accident.
"Incapacitated" means unable to carry out their normal range of duties, not merely unable to do the specific task they were doing when injured. A worker on light duties for eight days following an accident would be reportable. A worker who misses one day but returns to full duties on day two would not be.
Dangerous occurrences
Dangerous occurrences are near-miss events that did not result in an injury but had the potential to cause death or serious injury. RIDDOR Schedule 2 lists 27 categories of dangerous occurrence. Those most relevant to construction include:
- Collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifting equipment
- Explosion of a closed vessel or associated pipework
- An unintentional fire, explosion or release of flammable gas
- The collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold that results, or could result, in a fall of more than 5 metres
- Any unintended collapse or partial collapse of a building or structure under construction
- The unintentional release of any substance in a quantity sufficient to cause death, major injury or any other damage to the health of any person
Reporting timelines
| Event type | Reporting deadline |
|---|---|
| Death | Immediately (phone); online report within 15 days |
| Specified injury | Immediately or as soon as practicable; online report within 15 days |
| Over-seven-day injury | Within 15 days of the accident |
| Dangerous occurrence | Immediately; online report within 15 days |
| Work-related disease | As soon as practicable after doctor's notification |
How to submit a RIDDOR report
All RIDDOR reports are submitted to the HSE. The primary reporting channel is the online portal at riddor.hse.gov.uk. Deaths and specified injuries can also be reported by phone on 0345 300 9923 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm) - the phone report satisfies the immediate notification requirement, but an online report must still follow.
Each online report generates a unique reference number. Retain this with your incident records. You will need to provide: details of the injured person (name, age, sex, job title, employment status); description of what happened; the nature and location of the injury; and the date, time, and location of the incident.
Record keeping requirements
RIDDOR requires employers to keep records of reportable events for three years from the date of the event. Records must include: the date, time and place of the event; the person affected and their job; a brief description of the nature of the event; and the reference number of the RIDDOR report submitted.
Best practice is to maintain an accident book alongside RIDDOR records, covering all accidents on site regardless of whether they are RIDDOR-reportable. Non-reportable accidents and near-misses should also be recorded - they may be relevant to future claims or investigations even if they did not require RIDDOR notification at the time.
How attendance records support RIDDOR investigations
When an HSE inspector investigates a RIDDOR-reportable accident, one of the first questions is: who was on site at the time of the incident? Comprehensive site attendance records establish who was present, when they arrived, whether they had received their site induction, and whether they were qualified for the work they were doing.
Attendance records that can also confirm the worker's CSCS card status, induction completion date, and competency records at the time of the accident are significantly more valuable during an investigation than a paper sign-in book. A complete digital attendance and compliance record demonstrates that the site was being managed appropriately and that the accident occurred despite reasonable precautions - not because of their absence.
Frequently asked questions
Is a broken finger reportable under RIDDOR?
No. Fractures to fingers, thumbs and toes are excluded from the specified injury definition. A broken finger would only become RIDDOR-reportable if it causes more than seven consecutive days of incapacity - in which case it is reportable as an over-seven-day injury within 15 days of the accident.
Who is responsible for reporting if a subcontractor worker is injured on my site?
The reporting obligation rests with both the injured worker's employer (the subcontractor) and, in some circumstances, the principal contractor as the person in control of the site. Both parties may have reporting obligations. The principal contractor should always be informed of and involved in any incident on their site and ensure a report is made.
What happens if I fail to report a RIDDOR event?
Failure to report a RIDDOR-reportable event is a criminal offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Prosecution can result in an unlimited fine. The HSE will also investigate the underlying accident, which may reveal other breaches carrying separate penalties.
Do I need to report accidents to workers' compensation insurers as well?
RIDDOR reporting to the HSE and notification to your Employers' Liability insurer are separate obligations. Your EL insurance policy will specify notification requirements - typically requiring prompt notification of any accident that may give rise to a claim. Failure to notify your insurer may invalidate cover. Both notifications should be made promptly following any serious accident.