> Disclaimer: SiteKiln gives you plain-English information, not legal or health and safety advice. Always follow your site-specific risk assessments and talk to a qualified professional.
The short version
RIDDOR is the law that says serious work accidents, diseases and dangerous near misses must be reported to HSE by the "responsible person" -- usually the employer, self-employed in control of the work, or the main contractor.
Not every cut or twisted ankle is RIDDOR, but deaths, specified serious injuries, over-7-day lost-time injuries, certain diseases and serious dangerous occurrences in construction are.
Once a RIDDOR report goes in, HSE decide whether to investigate; if they find serious failings, you can see improvement or prohibition notices, fees, and in bad cases prosecution.
Why it matters
On small jobs, accidents often get brushed off: "stick a plaster on it, don't put it in the book, we don't want HSE sniffing around." Two problems with that: first, it's illegal not to report when RIDDOR says you should; second, you lose your own evidence if you later need to prove what really happened and how bad it was.
Understanding what must be reported, and what typically happens afterwards, lets you keep yourself on the right side of the law without panicking every time someone bangs a thumb.
What RIDDOR actually covers (in plain English)
RIDDOR 2013 says the "responsible person" (employer, self-employed in control, or person in control of premises) must report certain work-related events:
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Deaths at work: any work-related death of a worker or non-worker (member of public) caused by a work accident must be reported without delay.
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Specified serious injuries to workers: things like fractures (other than fingers/toes), amputations, permanent loss or reduction of sight, serious burns, loss of consciousness from head injury/asphyxia, serious crush injuries, certain enclosed-space injuries.
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Over-7-day injuries to workers: where a worker cannot do their normal work for more than 7 consecutive days because of a work accident (not counting the day of the accident).
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Injuries to non-workers: work-related accidents to members of the public that result in them being taken straight from the scene to hospital for treatment.
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Occupational diseases: certain diagnosed work-related diseases (e.g. some cancers, dermatitis, occupational asthma) when linked to the work.
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Dangerous occurrences: serious "near misses" like collapse of a scaffold, failure of lifting equipment, explosion, structural collapse, contact with overhead lines, etc.
For construction, dangerous occurrences specifically include things like scaffold collapses, failure of load-bearing parts of lifting equipment, and unintended collapse of walls/floors/structures.
Minor cuts, short-term sprains and near misses that don't match RIDDOR categories still need logging in your own accident book, but they don't go to HSE as RIDDOR reports.
Quick test: is this RIDDOR?
Ask yourself:
- Did someone die because of the work? If yes, it's RIDDOR and must be reported without delay.
- Is it a "specified injury"? Fracture (not fingers/toes), amputation, loss/reduction of sight, serious burns, loss of consciousness, serious crush or enclosed-space injury -- if yes, it's RIDDOR.
- Is a worker off their normal work for more than 7 consecutive days because of it? If yes, it's RIDDOR (over-7-day injury).
- Was a member of the public hurt badly enough to go straight from the scene to hospital for treatment? If yes, it's usually RIDDOR.
- Was there a serious "near miss"? Collapse of scaffold or structure, serious lifting gear failure, explosion, or similar listed dangerous occurrence -- if yes, it's RIDDOR even if nobody's hurt.
If you're ticking one of these, don't sit on it -- the responsible person should be putting a RIDDOR report in.
Who has to report -- and when
RIDDOR talks about the "responsible person". On a small building job, that usually means:
- Employers: must report RIDDOR incidents involving their employees.
- Self-employed: must report RIDDOR incidents that happen to them while they're working on their own premises or where they control the work.
- Person in control of the premises / main contractor: may have to report certain events on their site, especially where they control the workplace and others work there.
In practice, on most jobs:
- On a big site: the principal contractor's H&S team normally handle RIDDOR reporting.
- On your own small jobs: your LTD/sole trader business is the "responsible person" and must do any RIDDOR reports itself.
Time limits:
- Fatalities and specified serious injuries -- notify HSE without delay (usually via the online form, phone in some cases), and fully report within 10 days.
- Over-7-day injuries -- report within 15 days of the accident.
- Diseases -- report when you receive a written diagnosis from a doctor.
- Dangerous occurrences -- report without delay via the online system.
All RIDDOR reports are done through the online forms on HSE's site (with a telephone option for the most serious cases).
What you should do when there's an accident
Think in two tracks: care and control (immediate) and record and report (legal/admin).
Make the area safe and get medical help
Make sure the injured person is cared for -- first aid, call 999 if needed. Stop the activity that caused the accident and make the area safe for others.
Preserve the scene (for serious incidents)
For serious injuries, dangerous occurrences or potential RIDDOR events, try not to disturb the scene more than necessary to keep people safe. HSE or the police may want to see how things were set up.
Record the accident
Put it in the accident book or your own incident form: who, what, where, when, witnesses, immediate cause, injuries. Take photos (sensibly) of the area and equipment once it's safe to do so.
Check if it's RIDDOR-reportable
Go through the quick test above: is it a death, specified injury, over-7-day absence, injury to a member of the public taken to hospital, disease, or dangerous occurrence that matches the schedule? If yes, the "responsible person" needs to log a RIDDOR report.
Submit the RIDDOR report if you are the responsible person
Use HSE's online RIDDOR reporting forms; you'll get a reference and a copy email for your records. Keep copies with your accident records for at least 3 years (sensible to keep longer in construction).
If you're a worker and not the responsible person, your job is to make sure the accident is recorded and reported internally -- and to keep your own note of what happened.
What happens after a RIDDOR goes in
Once HSE (or the relevant local authority) receive a RIDDOR report, they don't automatically turn up on every job -- but they do look at each report.
Typical steps:
Initial triage
HSE assess the report to decide whether to investigate -- they prioritise fatalities, major injuries, serious dangerous occurrences, and cases suggesting serious management failures.
Decision
- Some cases get logged but not investigated in person (they might send advice letters or do nothing more).
- More serious ones will lead to a site inspection and formal investigation.
If they investigate, HSE (or the council) will typically:
- Visit the site and inspect the area, plant and documents.
- Interview witnesses and managers; take statements.
- Review risk assessments, method statements, training records, maintenance and inspection records.
- Decide if laws were breached and by who.
Possible outcomes:
- No formal action: maybe advice or a letter if the incident was minor and management was generally sound.
- Improvement Notice: requires you to fix specific breaches by a deadline (e.g. improve guarding, training, risk assessments).
- Prohibition Notice: stops particular work immediately where there's a risk of serious personal injury -- criminal offence to ignore it.
- Fee for Intervention (FFI): HSE can charge you for their time if they find a "material breach" -- their hourly rate is not cheap.
- Prosecution: for serious breaches or repeated non-compliance -- unlimited fines, costs, and possible prison and director disqualification.
If there's a fatality, the police may lead initially under the Work-Related Deaths Protocol to consider gross negligence or corporate manslaughter, with HSE supporting.
What this means for you as a small builder
- You must have a basic process: accident book, simple incident forms, and someone nominated to decide if an incident is RIDDOR-reportable.
- If you control the work (as a small contractor or principal contractor), you're usually the one who has to report -- and you're the first place HSE will look if they come out.
- Reporting is not an admission of guilt -- it's a legal requirement. Trying to hide serious incidents usually makes things worse if/when they come to light later.
- For workers, it's about making sure accidents are recorded properly and not being pressured into keeping quiet about things that clearly meet RIDDOR thresholds.
What to do next
- Make sure you've got an accident book on site right now -- not in the office, not in the van, on site.
- Bookmark HSE's online RIDDOR reporting page so you can find it fast when you need it.
- Run through the "quick test" in this guide for any recent near misses on your job -- some of them might have been reportable.
- Brief your team on who the "responsible person" is for RIDDOR on your current job, so everyone knows who reports if something happens.
- Keep accident records for at least 3 years -- in construction, longer is sensible.
Sources
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) -- reporting duties for serious incidents.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 -- general duties and enforcement powers.
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 -- management duties on construction sites.
- HSE guidance -- types of reportable incidents, specified injuries and how to report.
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