The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has formally implemented changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), effective from 1 October 2013. These changes are meant to simplify workplace injury reporting requirements while ensuring data collected gives an accurate and useful picture of workplace incidents. These changes affect employers in England, Scotland and Wales.
RIDDOR requires employers to report and to keep track of work-related deaths, certain serious injuries, diagnosed cases of certain industrial diseases and near-miss incidents. For a brief guide to RIDDOR, click here.
What is changing?
The main changes to RIDDOR are:
- Replacing the classification of ‘major injuries’ to workers with a short ‘specified injuries’ list. The new ‘specified injuries’ list includes fractures, amputations, loss of sight, serious burns, scalpings, unconsciousness due to head injury and injuries arising from working in an enclosed space.
- Replacing the existing schedule detailing 47 types of industrial disease with eight categories of reportable work-related illnesses. These include carpal tunnel syndrome, severe cramps, dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, asthma, tendonitis, cancer and diseases linked with exposure to biological agents.
- Requiring fewer types of ‘dangerous occurrences’ to be reported. There are 27 categories of dangerous occurrences that are relevant to most workplaces (additional categories apply to mines, quarries, offshore workplaces and certain transport systems).
There will be no changes to the reporting requirements concerning the following:
- Fatal accidents
- Accidents to the public and non-workers
- Over-seven-day injuries
Additionally, how an incident at work is reported and the criteria that determine whether an incident should be investigated will remain the same. For more information on the changes, see www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/.
If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest regulatory updates and developments that affect your company and your employees, then please contact Bollington Risk Management on 01625 854300, or find out more about our unrivalled service here.
