In 2016/17, the total cost of workplace illness and injury in Great Britain was £15.0 billion. Of these costs, £9.7 billion accounted for ill health, and £5.2 billion for work-related injuries. £8.6 billion of these costs were absorbed by individuals, £3 billion by employers and £3.4 by the government.
As you can see, compensation costs for illness and injury at work are no small matter. Even a small injury can cost more than you think—a lot more. This is the same with near misses. These costs come directly off the bottom line, so they substantially affect your profitability.
Consult RIDDOR to Cut Costs
Remember that reporting workplace illness and any injuries promptly can cut costs dramatically. Of course, you don’t need to report every one of them, just report the more critical ones. How do you know which incidents to report? Savvy managers consult RIDDOR.
The acronym stands for the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, a 2013 statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. When it comes to reporting any illnesses or injuries efficiently, RIDDOR can be an enormous benefit.
Below are answers to six frequently asked questions about RIDDOR:
Why is RIDDOR important?
RIDDOR can help you decide if you need to report an incident or not and who to report it to at the right authority. The statute requires businesses, the self-employed, and those that manage or control business premises to report injuries and illnesses to relevant law enforcing authorities, keeping a record of any work-related deaths.
According to RIDDOR, managers and employers, must report incidents “if they’re out of, or in connection with, work.” Of course, just because an accident occurs on the premises this doesn’t mean it’s work-related. The activity itself needs to contribute to the incident.
RIDDOR states that an accident is work-related if it is the result of:
- the way that work was carried out
- any machinery, plant, substance, or equipment used for the work
- the condition of the site or premises where the accident occurred, contributing to the event.
Report any incidents that occur in Scotland, Wales, and the English communities to Health and Executive Safety (HSE). Report incidents that occur in Northern Ireland to HSE NI.
What RIDDOR regulations are most helpful to employers/managers?
The most helpful regulations for employers and managers are 4, 5 and 6:
- Regulation 4 addresses specific injuries to workers and injuries resulting in worker incapacitation for more than 7 days.
- Regulation 5 accounts for injuries to non-workers who have to receive hospital care or specified injuries to non-workers that occur at a hospital.
- Regulation 6 addresses the death of any person.It accounts for the death of a worker or member of the public due to an incident in a workplace, including a worker who is physically attacked at a site.
Regulation 6 doesn’t include a suicide at a worksite. Regulations 8 and 9 address diseases that stem from work-related activities.
What are some examples of reportable RIDDOR incidents?
Some specific injuries occurring in the workplace which are covered under RIDDOR include fractures, amputations, injuries resulting in the loss or diminishment of sight, any scalping that requires hospital treatment, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences, and gas incidents.
Employers and managers also need to report injuries that extend over seven days within 15 days of the incident. If a worker is unable to come in over three days after an accident occurs, this needs to recorded, but not necessarily reported.
Employers and managers do not need to report incidents if they just feel someone should be taken to hospital as a precaution, or there’s no apparent injury. Of course, it’s worth keeping a record of any incidents occurring, for your own protection.
Who should report incidents?
People that need to report incidents include the responsible members of a business, the self-employed, and those that oversee work on-site. Other parties that need to report incidents include:
- Members of the public, employees, injured persons, and their representatives
- An employment agency
- A gas supplier
- A gas engineer
- People responsible for mines, wells, quarries, pipelines
- Those responsible for offshore installations
For specific details on reporting procedures after an offshore incident you can contact HSE Energy Division.
What records does RIDDOR require you to keep?
RIDDOR expects you to keep a record of any injuries that are reportable, an injury lasting over three consecutive days, a disease, and any dangerous occurrence. If you use HSE’s online form, you can print it out, save a copy to your computer, or both.
If you don’t want to keep a copy of your online form, at least keep records that include the date and method of reporting; the date, time and place the incident occurred; people’s personal information; and a short write-up of the event, disease, or dangerous occurrence.
If any incident occurring was an accident, employers that must keep an Accident Book (B1510) under Social Security law. This can be used for recording any injuries, but you’ll need to use a different method to record disease cases. Also, remember that any information that you provide HSE with not passed on to insurance companies.
What are RIDDOR timescales?
Any responsible workers must report to the enforcing authorities without delay, for most incidents for most incidents that occur straight away, while using the correct reporting procedure (Schedule 1).
You can report these incidents online here. But you can also phone in fatal/specified and major incidents at 0345 300 9923 (opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5:00 pm.)
For more information on the timely reporting any incidents that occur, go here. You can also make amendments to RIDDOR notifications once made.
Bottom Line on RIDDOR
Everyone wants their workers to be safe, but accidents always happen. When they do, they can be costly. The cost of dealing with any compensation claims can significantly affect overall profitability.
The immediate reporting of any injuries that occur can cut costs dramatically. However, how do you know what incidents to report? Just consult RIDDOR. The statute provides detailed guidance on any injuries to report, how to report them, and when to report them, among other things.
RIDDOR also provides you with guidance on which records to keep, who should be reporting the incidents, and other details to clarify the whole situation for you. Generally speaking, you can report most incidents using HSE’s online form.
GoContractor’s online contractor management platform can also help you cut compensation costs, forming a safer workplace by helping you manage worker behavior more efficiently, training them to consider safety more efficiently while tracking their performance more accurately.
