Report an accident

All accidents, however minor the injury, should be recorded in the accident book in your workplace. Accident books can be ordered from HSE books - the newest version of the accident book complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

After any incident at work (such as an accident) it's good practice for the employer to carry out an investigation to see what went wrong and what lessons should be learned.

As the enforcing authority for health and safety at work, our inspections are aimed at preventing such incidents - but we also investigate incidents if they do happen.

We will investigate any complaint about unsafe or unhealthy working conditions or business practices.

If you would like to make a complaint about your workplace or another workplace please contact the Environmental Health Safety Team on 01530 454545 or email ehealth@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

We may also investigate reported injuries and cases of work-related ill-health.

If during an investigation we find a contravention of the law, we may take appropriate enforcement action to ensure that the risk is reduced in future.

Reporting serious accidents or incidents

Certain injuries, diseases and 'dangerous occurrences' - events which do not cause injury but are potentially very serious - must be reported to the enforcing authority under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations  2013 (RIDDOR).

Details of what is included in the various categories can be found on the RIDDOR website. But to summarise, the following must be reported:

• Deaths (of employees or members of the public)
• Specified Injuries (such as fractures and amputations)
• Members of the public and none employees taken directly to hospital for treatment to that injury
• Accidents causing an injury that results in incapacitation lasting more than seven days (you must still keep a record of any accident causing an injury that results in incapacitation lasting for more than three days)
• Certain occupational diseases, where these are likely to have been caused or made worse by work (such as occupational asthma)
• Dangerous occurrences such as electrical short circuits causing fire or explosion.

How to report

All incidents can be reported to a central point - the Incident Contact Centre - by telephone, fax, e-mail, on the internet (through the RIDDOR website) or by post.

You can contact the incident centre by phone 0845 300 9923, by e-mail riddor@natbrit.com or by post

ICC
Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG

All reports are passed to us (if we are the enforcing authority for your business) or the Health and Safety Executive as appropriate.

Important points

To be reportable under RIDDOR, the accident needs to be connected with a work activity, which could mean that the work itself led to the injury, or there was a defect or hazards within the premises. If the injury or incident had nothing to do with the work or the premises (such as a customer walking into a shop and having a heart attack) there is no need to report it. If in any doubt, it is always better to report than not!

Deaths, specified injuries, public taken to hospital and dangerous occurrences must be reported immediately by telephone, fax or on the internet.

Other categories must be reported within 10 days except accidents causing an injury that results in incapacitation lasting more than 7 days which must be reported within 15 days.