RIDDOR 2013

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) require responsible persons — usually the employer, the self-employed, or the person in control of premises — to report certain serious work-related events to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). RIDDOR applies across Great Britain (Northern Ireland has equivalent regulations enforced by HSENI).

This page explains what is reportable and how SteadyOn helps you capture and flag those events. It is not legal advice — for specific questions about whether something is reportable, consult the HSE guidance or a qualified health and safety advisor.

What RIDDOR requires

RIDDOR is a reporting regime, not a risk-management one. It does not tell you how to prevent harm — it tells you which events, once they have happened, must be reported (and recorded), so that the HSE can investigate serious matters and build a national picture of workplace risk. Most reports are made through the HSE online reporting service; fatal and major incidents can also be reported by telephone.

There are strict timeframes — most reportable injuries and dangerous occurrences must be reported without delay and a report submitted within 10 days; over-7-day injuries within 15 days. You must also keep a record of any reportable event for at least three years.

What is reportable — the seven categories

RIDDOR’s reportable events fall into the following categories. SteadyOn’s UK notifiable-category list maps to these seven groupings:

1. Deaths

The death of any person — worker or non-worker — where it arises from a work-related accident. These must be reported without delay (by telephone for the fastest route).

2. Specified injuries to workers

A defined list of the most serious injuries, including:

Fractures (other than to fingers, thumbs, and toes)
Amputations
Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
Crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
Serious burns covering more than 10% of the body, or damaging the eyes, respiratory system, or other vital organs
Scalpings requiring hospital treatment
Loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
Injuries from working in an enclosed space leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness, or resuscitation/hospital admission for more than 24 hours

3. Over-7-day incapacitation of a worker

Where a worker is away from work, or unable to perform their normal duties, for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident, but including weekends and rest days) as a result of a work-related injury. (You must also keep a record of any over-3-day injury, even though it is not reportable.)

4. Injuries to non-workers (members of the public)

Where a member of the public or other non-worker is injured in a work-related accident and is taken from the scene to hospital for treatment of that injury.

5. Occupational diseases

Certain work-related diseases diagnosed by a doctor, including occupational dermatitis, occupational asthma, hand-arm vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand/forearm, and certain occupational cancers and diseases linked to biological agents.

6. Dangerous occurrences

A defined list of near-miss events that had the potential to cause serious harm even though no one was injured — for example the collapse or failure of lifting equipment, plant coming into contact with overhead power lines, the accidental release of a substance that could cause injury, or explosions and fires that stop work for more than 24 hours.

7. Gas incidents

Reports relating to flammable gas — deaths, loss of consciousness, or hospital treatment connected with gas — and reports that gas fitters and suppliers must make about dangerous gas fittings or appliances.

SteadyOn records and flags — it does not report for you

This is the most important point on this page:

SteadyOn records and flags reportable incidents, but it does not report them to the HSE on your behalf. You must submit the report yourself via the HSE online reporting service (or by telephone for fatal/major incidents).

When you create an incident in SteadyOn, you can mark it notifiable and select the relevant UK notifiable category. SteadyOn then:

Flags the incident as notifiable on the Incident Register and the dashboard
Displays a reminder that you must report it to the HSE within the relevant RIDDOR timeframe
Keeps the full record as your evidence that the event was identified, categorised, and responded to — and as the RIDDOR record you must retain for at least three years

SteadyOn support:

RIDDOR need	SteadyOn feature
Capture the event quickly	Incidents — any member can create; public reporting link for non-workers
Decide if it is reportable	Incidents — Notifiable flag + UK notifiable-category list
Prompt to report in time	Notifiable reminder on the incident and dashboard
Investigate root cause	Incidents — investigation fields + due date
Track the fix	Actions linked to the incident
Retain the RIDDOR record	The incident record + Audit Log (kept indefinitely)

Recording vs reporting

RIDDOR has two distinct obligations that are easy to confuse:

Report — notify the HSE of events that fall into the categories above, within the set timeframes.
Record — keep your own record of every reportable event (and of over-3-day injuries) for at least three years.

SteadyOn handles the recording obligation comprehensively: the incident record, its investigation, and its audit history all persist. Reporting to the HSE remains a manual step you must perform — SteadyOn reminds and evidences, but does not submit.