Accidents and injuries

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Each year approximately 20,000 injuries are reported to local authorities. In the UK an estimated 1.5 million work related injuries and two million work related illness affect businesses. Visit the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website for up to date statistical data on accidents and injuries at work.

Work-related injuries can include head injury, back injury, electrocution, sprains, hearing loss, lacerations, heat burns, chemical burns, gassing, amputations, respiratory damage, dermatitis, dislocation, eye injury, fractures, strains and cuts.

Manual handling injuries and injuries due to slips, trips and falls are the most common in the workplace. Violence at work has been identified as an increasing problem.

Reporting injuries, disease, and dangerous occurrences

The law requires the following work-related incidents to be reported:

  • the death of any person
  • specified injuries to workers
  • over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker
  • over-three-day incapacitation
  • non-fatal accidents to non-workers
  • specified occupational diseases
  • specified dangerous occurrences
  • gas incidents 

Visit the Riddor website for more details.

When and to whom to report accidents and injuries

For most types of incident, including:

  • accidents resulting in the death of any person
  • accidents resulting in specified injuries to workers
  • non-fatal accidents requiring hospital treatment to non-workers and
  • dangerous occurrences

the responsible person must notify the enforcing authority without delay. This is most easily done by reporting online.

Alternatively, for fatal accidents or accidents resulting in specified injuries to workers only, you can telephone the Incident Contact Centre on 0845 300 9923 (opening hours Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm).

NB: A report must be received within 10 days of the incident using the appropriate online form.

Reporting out of hours

HSE has an out-of-hours duty officer. Circumstances where HSE may need to respond out of hours include:

  • a work-related death;
  • a serious incident at a workplace where there has been multiple casualties;
  • a serious accident at a workplace which has caused major disruption, such as evacuation of people, closure of roads, large numbers of people going to hospital, etc.

If you want to report less serious incidents out of normal working hours, you should complete an online form.

You can find more information about contacting HSE out of hours.

Over 7 Day Incidents

For accidents resulting in the over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker, you must notify the enforcing authority within 15 days of the incident, using the appropriate online form.

Cases of occupational disease, including those associated with exposure to carcinogens, mutagens or biological agents, as soon as the responsible person receives a diagnosis, using the appropriate online form.

There is no longer a paper form for RIDDOR reporting as the online method is preferred. If you must submit a report by post, it should be sent to:

RIDDOR Reports
Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside  L20 7HS

The ICC will forward the details on to the relevant Enforcing Authority who may then contact you.

RIDDOR - Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences 2013

The Enforcing Authorities are either the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the Local Authority depending on the type of business or work activity. Most businesses and work activities in the borough will come under the remit of the Local Authority, The Royal Borough. These businesses include offices, shops, hotels, restaurants, clubs, pubs, leisure centres, hairdressers and launderettes etc. Slips, trips and falls on the same level cause the majority of injuries in the local authority enforced sector. The majority of fatal accidents in this sector are caused by falls from height and being struck by moving vehicles or objects.

All employers, the self-employed and those in control of premises have duties to report under RIDDOR 2013 so should be aware of the requirements. It is a criminal offence not to comply with the regulations. 

Investigations and lessons learnt

Employers should appropriately investigate all accidents and near misses. They should use the lessons learnt to improve their risk management systems.

For practical guidance on this topic see HSG245 Investigating accidents and Incidents, ISBN 0 7176 2827 2. It is available from HSE's publications.

Further information

Further information about the types of accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences that require reporting can be found in the HSE website .

Other references

For further advice and information please contact the Health and Safety Team.

Last updated: 29 November 2019