What is RIDDOR?

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. These regulations require employers, self-employed people, and those in control of premises to report and record certain serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and near-miss events to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

What is RIDDOR?

RIDDOR is the reporting system for workplace health and safety incidents in Great Britain. The full name is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

The regulations serve several purposes:

• National statistics — Building a picture of workplace health and safety across the UK
• Regulatory oversight — Allowing HSE to identify where and how risks arise
• Enforcement — Enabling investigation of serious incidents
• Trend analysis — Spotting patterns that might indicate systemic problems

What must be reported?

You must report certain types of incidents to the HSE. Not everything needs reporting, only specific categories.

1. Deaths

Any death arising from a work-related accident must be reported immediately, regardless of how long after the accident the death occurs.

This includes:

• Deaths of workers (employees, self-employed, contractors)
• Deaths of members of the public arising from work activities

2. Specified injuries

These are serious injuries that must be reported immediately:

Fractures:

• Any fracture, other than to fingers, thumbs, or toes

Amputations:

• Any amputation of a hand or foot
• Any amputation of a finger, thumb, or toe, or any part, if the joint or bone is completely severed

Loss of sight:

• Permanent loss of sight in one eye
• Temporary loss of sight lasting more than 24 hours

Crush injuries:

• Crush injuries leading to internal organ damage

Serious burns:

• Burns covering more than 10% of the body
• Burns causing significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system, or other vital organs

Scalping:

• Scalping injuries requiring hospital treatment

Unconsciousness:

• Loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxiation

Other specified injuries:

• Injuries from working in an enclosed space which lead to hypothermia, heat-induced illness, or require resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

3. Over-7-day injuries

If an employee or self-employed person is unable to work for more than 7 consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident), you must report it. The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.

Important points:

• Count days they would normally have worked, including weekends if they normally work weekends
• Don't count the day the accident happened
• "Unable to work" means their normal work — if they can only do light duties, it still counts

4. Occupational diseases

If a doctor notifies you that an employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease, you must report it.

Reportable diseases include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Severe cramp of the hand or forearm (from repetitive movements)
• Occupational dermatitis
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome
• Occupational asthma
• Tendonitis or tenosynovitis in the hand or forearm
• Any occupational cancer
• Any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent

5. Dangerous occurrences

These are near-miss events with the potential to cause serious harm. They must be reported even if no one was injured.

Common examples include:

• Collapse, overturning, or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment
• Explosion, collapse, or bursting of any pressure vessel or pipeline
• Electrical short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion
• Explosion or fire causing suspension of normal work for over 24 hours
• Sudden, uncontrolled release of flammable or toxic substances
• Collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over 5 metres high
• Failure of any load-bearing part of a crane or derrick
• Contact between road vehicle and overhead power lines
• Unintended collapse of any building or structure under construction, alteration, or demolition

The full list is extensive and industry-specific. Check the HSE guidance for your sector.

Who must report?

The duty to report falls on:

Employers — For incidents involving their employees

The self-employed — For incidents involving themselves

Those in control of work premises — For incidents involving others working on or using the premises

In practice, this usually means:

• If you employ staff, you report incidents affecting your employees
• If you're a landlord or property owner, you report incidents in common areas or arising from the condition of the building
• If you're a contractor, you report incidents affecting your workers

How to report

RIDDOR reports must be made to the HSE. The quickest and easiest way is online.

Online reporting

Use the HSE's online RIDDOR reporting form at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm↗

You'll need to provide:

• Details of the person affected (name, address, occupation)
• Details of the incident (date, time, location, what happened)
• Details of the injury or disease
• Your details (name, job title, contact information)

The form is straightforward and guides you through the process. You'll receive a confirmation email with a case reference number — keep this safe.

Telephone reporting (deaths and specified injuries only)

For deaths and specified injuries, you can report by telephone if you need to report outside normal working hours:

HSE RIDDOR reporting line: 0345 300 9923

This line is available Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm. Outside these hours, use the online form.

What you cannot do

You cannot:

• Report by email (except for offshore incidents)
• Report by letter (except in exceptional circumstances)
• Report via your local authority (unless it's a reportable incident in premises they regulate, such as leisure centres)

Reporting timescales

The regulations specify clear deadlines for reporting different types of incidents.

What "immediate" means

"Without delay" and "by the quickest practicable means" means as soon as reasonably possible. In practice:

• Report on the same day if the incident happens during working hours
• Report the next working day if it happens outside working hours
• Don't wait to investigate or establish all the facts — report what you know and update later if needed

Record keeping requirements

As well as reporting to the HSE, you must keep your own records of incidents.

All employers must maintain:

An accident book — For recording all work-related accidents, however minor

RIDDOR records — Copies of RIDDOR reports and any acknowledgements from HSE

These records must be kept for at least 3 years from the date of the incident.

What to record

For each incident, record:

• Date, time, and place of incident
• Details of the person affected
• Nature of the injury or condition
• Brief description of what happened

What doesn't need reporting

Not every workplace injury or incident needs reporting under RIDDOR. You do not need to report:

• Minor injuries (cuts, bruises, minor burns)
• Injuries causing less than 7 days off work
• Occupational ill-health that's not on the reportable diseases list (e.g., most cases of stress or minor back pain)
• Near misses that aren't on the dangerous occurrences list
• Injuries to members of the public that don't arise from the condition of premises or work activities

However, you should still record these in your accident book and investigate if necessary.

Penalties for non-reporting

Failure to report under RIDDOR is a criminal offence. Penalties include:

Fines:

• Magistrates' Court: Up to £20,000 per offence
• Crown Court: Unlimited fines

Imprisonment:

• Up to 6 months in Magistrates' Court
• Up to 2 years in Crown Court (for serious breaches)

Additional consequences:

• Enforcement notices requiring immediate action
• Prohibition notices preventing use of equipment or premises
• Reputational damage
• Increased scrutiny from HSE
• Difficulty getting insurance or contracts

Common RIDDOR reporting mistakes

Mistake 1: Waiting to investigate before reporting

The problem: Employers delay reporting until they've fully investigated and established all the facts.

The reality: You must report without delay. Report what you know, then investigate. You can provide additional information to HSE later if needed.

Mistake 2: Assuming someone else has reported it

The problem: On sites with multiple contractors, everyone assumes someone else has reported to HSE.

The reality: If you have a duty to report, do it. Multiple reports of the same incident are fine. Missing reports are not.

Mistake 3: Not reporting "grey area" incidents

The problem: When it's unclear if an injury meets the threshold, employers decide not to report "to be safe."

The reality: If in doubt, report it. HSE would rather receive an unnecessary report than miss a serious incident. There's no penalty for over-reporting.

Mistake 4: Thinking medical treatment means you're covered

The problem: Employers think that because the person went to hospital, that's sufficient and no report is needed.

The reality: Medical treatment doesn't replace RIDDOR reporting. If the injury is reportable, you must report it to HSE regardless of medical treatment.

Mistake 5: Forgetting the 15-day rule

The problem: An injury seems minor at first, but the person ends up off work for more than 7 days. By the time you realize, the 15-day deadline has passed.

The reality: Keep track of all injuries that result in time off work. Set a reminder to check if someone who's off work reaches the 7-day threshold. You have 15 days from the accident to report, not from the 7th day.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

If you're unsure whether a specific incident needs reporting, use our RIDDOR checker tool:

Check if you need to report an incident →

If you need help investigating a workplace accident or improving your safety management:

Related articles:

• How to investigate a workplace accident
• Workplace accident records: what to keep and for how long
• What is a competent person for health and safety?

Useful tools:

• Responsibility Checker
• RIDDOR Checker