What actually is a RIDDOR report?

·

·

A lot of health and safety is about compliance, and this is never more important than when it comes to accidents at work. The main aim of the profession is to prevent these and in general, develop good practices for managing both physical and mental health in the workplace.

Reports are crucial in health and safety, and RIDDOR reports are among the most important that you will do. RIDDOR reports must be filled out if you are to stay compliant with the RIDDOR regulations (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013).

These reports stand apart from the typical reports as they are mandated by law and must be completed following the occurrence of a relevant RIDDOR-related incident. Although not every incident falls under the obligation of a RIDDOR report, maintaining a record of previous accidents is advisable for regulatory compliance and learning purposes. This documentation proves beneficial in preventing short circuits, harmful chemical leaks, and fires.

In today’s article, we try and answer the simple yet common question of what a RIDDOR report is and why you should have a good understanding of them.

  1. What is a RIDDOR report?

A RIDDOR report is a report that must be made to the health and safety executive once a relevant incident has occurred. These can range from extended periods of sickness to death and serious injuries. Other areas where RIDDOR could be applicable include injuries to the public, gas incidents, and sudden loss of consciousness.

They are filled out online at the HSE Executive’s website and they are put into a database that monitors and records incidents from companies and workplaces around the UK. Alternatively, RIDDOR reports can also be made by telephone and a separate form is required for offshore reporting.

RIDDOR reports are typically quite straightforward to fill in and must be completed by the ‘responsible person’ of the workplace. This could be the owner or a senior manager for example.

After a report is filed, those in charge must make the appropriate changes to ensure that these incidents do not happen again. This can mean updating health and safety policies, looking into Fire Compartmentation From Meritas, or a similar business, as well as run safety training to guarantee that everyone is aware of what they need to do in case of a fire, gas leak, injury, and so on.

  1. Why do I need to know about RIDDOR reporting?

Put simply, having a good understanding of RIDDOR is essential when it comes to keeping your business compliant. RIDDOR reports must be filled out in the correct way and within the right timeframe.

In addition to the legal requirements, having an understanding of what does and does not require RIDDOR reporting will help you save time in the future. Knowing about these potential incidents may also give you new ideas on how they can be avoided with better health and safety practices.

Ensure staff and managers are familiar with all aspects of RIDDOR

As shown RIDDOR is very important if you want to have a good level of control and compliance when it comes to your business’s health and safety. You should be familiar with the various RIDDOR reportable incidents, and other areas of the legislation, and how to fill out a RIDDOR report. Having a good knowledge of these different areas will help keep your workers safe and keep your business safe from legal action.



Tags