What’s RIDDOR and How It Protects Staff

So, what’s RIDDOR and why does it matter? RIDDOR is a law that makes you report serious work injuries and illnesses. It tells you what to report, who must report it, and how reporting stops accidents from happening again. Every year, employers report over 59,000 injuries, and workers report around 680,000 more themselves. The most common accidents include slips and trips, lifting injuries, being hit by objects, violence, and falls from height. Understanding RIDDOR helps you protect your team and keep the workplace safe.

In this article, we explore RIDDOR in detail. You’ll learn what RIDDOR is, why it matters for workplaces, which incidents must be reported, and how it helps prevent accidents. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of RIDDOR and its role in keeping work environments safe.

What’s RIDDOR?

RIDDOR is the UK law that makes you report and record serious work accidents and illnesses. It applies to employers, self-employed people, or anyone controlling a workplace. They must report deaths, injuries, diseases and dangerous events that happen at work. These reports help health and safety authorities see patterns, investigate causes, and stop similar accidents from happening again.

Every year, thousands of injuries are reported. The most common are slips and trips, handling or lifting injuries, being struck by moving objects, violence, and falls from height. Reporting under RIDDOR isn’t just a legal requirement—it protects staff and shows you care about their wellbeing. It also helps managers learn from past accidents, improve safety controls, and create a safer, healthier workplace for everyone. Following RIDDOR means taking action before someone else gets hurt.

What Does RIDDOR Do?

Keeping workplaces safe is a top priority. When serious accidents, injuries, or dangerous events happen, the authorities—like the HSE or your local council—need to know. Reporting these events allows them to take action and make sure safety rules are followed. Following this process is important for many reasons:

• Alert authorities quickly: It tells HSE or local councils that a serious work event has happened.
• Prevent future accidents: Authorities can check what went wrong and give advice to stop it from happening again.
• Protect staff: Reporting shows you care about your team and their safety.
• Learn from incidents: Managers can spot patterns, improve safety rules and fix hazards.
• Follow the law: RIDDOR is a legal requirement. Failing to report can lead to penalties.
• Create a safer workplace: Over time, reporting helps everyone work in a healthier also safer environment.
• Build trust: Staff see that safety matters and feel valued.
  

Overall, RIDDOR is not just about rules. It is about taking action, caring for your team, and making work safer for everyone.

Why Is RIDDOR Important for Staff Safety?

RIDDOR is important because it helps keep staff safe. By reporting accidents and dangerous events, workplaces can learn where harm happens and take steps to prevent it. Both national data and our own trends show the biggest risks clearly.

• Spot the most common accidents: Nationally, slips and trips make up 30% of accidents, lifting or handling injuries 17%, being struck by objects 10%, violence 10%, and falls from height 8%. Our own reports follow similar patterns.
• Learn from incidents: Every reported event gives managers a chance to understand what went wrong.
• Prevent repeat accidents: When risks are spotted early, changes can be made before someone else gets hurt.
• Focus on high-risk areas: RIDDOR shows which jobs or areas are most dangerous helping teams improve safety measures.
• Protect staff: Reporting isn’t just a rule; it shows care for employees and helps build a safer workplace.
• Improve workplace culture: Staff see that safety matters, which encourages everyone to follow rules and speak up about risks.

In short, RIDDOR turns accidents into lessons. Learning from reported events prevents the next one and keeps everyone safer.

What Incidents Must Be Reported Under RIDDOR?

Knowing what to report is important to keep everyone safe. Under RIDDOR, you must report:

• Work-related deaths: Any death caused by a work accident must be reported. Suicides are not included.
  
• Serious injuries to staff: This covers most broken bones, amputations, permanent loss of sight, serious burns, internal crush injuries, scalp lacerations needing hospital treatment, and loss of consciousness from head injuries or lack of oxygen.
  
• Over-7-day injuries: If someone cannot do their normal job for more than seven days, you must report it within 15 days. Shorter injuries over three days should be recorded in the accident book.
  
• Injuries to the public or volunteers: If someone not at work is hurt and goes straight to the hospital because of work, it must be reported.
  
• Work-related illnesses: This includes occupational asthma, dermatitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendon problems, certain cancers, and infections caused by work.
  
• Dangerous events (“near misses”): Serious near-miss accidents and certain gas incidents, like flammable gas leaks or faulty gas fittings, must be reported.

Reporting these events helps prevent future accidents and shows you care about everyone’s safety.

Who Is Responsible for Reporting?

It is important to know who must report accidents and dangerous events. Usually, the employer is responsible. However, some self-employed people also need to report, especially if they work alone or run a site. In addition, anyone who controls the premises has a duty to report under RIDDOR.

Sometimes, special rules apply. For example, agency staff may need their employer to report on their behalf. Also, self-employed people working on someone else’s premises must follow RIDDOR while they are there. Similarly, gas engineers or staff handling gas have extra rules for reporting dangerous gas incidents.

Reports should be submitted through HSE’s online forms. This is quick, easy, and makes sure the right authorities get the information.

By understanding who is responsible, you can act quickly when accidents happen. Reporting not only follows the law but also protects staff, prevents future incidents, and shows you care. In the end, clear responsibility and timely reporting make the workplace safer for everyone.

How Does RIDDOR Help Prevent Future Accidents?

Every report under RIDDOR helps make the workplace safer. Teams should use each report to learn and take action.

• Investigate the accident carefully, so you can understand what went wrong.
• Look for the root cause, then make changes to prevent it from happening again.
• Improve safety measures, such as equipment, procedures, or protective gear, and also share lessons with the team.
• Record dangerous occurrences or near misses, even if no one is hurt, because they show risks before someone gets injured.
• Encourage staff to follow safety rules and speak up about hazards, which helps everyone stay safe.

By following these steps, you protect staff and reduce accidents. RIDDOR is not just paperwork; it is about learning, improving, and keeping everyone safe.

How Does RIDDOR Protect Employees at Work?

Staying safe at work matters to everyone. So if you want to keep yourself safe in the workplace, Roddor is perfect for you.RIDDOR keeps people safe because it encourages quick action and honest reporting. It provides clear rules, encourages quick action, and helps people feel supported when something goes wrong. Think of it as a system that watches out for you while you do your job.

Here’s how RIDDOR protects employees:

It pushes teams to act fast

When someone reports an accident, managers can look into it right away. They can fix problems before someone else gets hurt. This makes people feel heard and protected.

It helps spot clear patterns

For example, if many reports show slips and trips, then something is wrong with the floors or the work area. Because of this, bosses can improve surfaces, add guarding, or give better training. Everyone feels more confident at work.

It gives leaders real evidence

Reports show where money is needed. Maybe a machine needs repair, or a walkway needs better lighting. With clear facts, boards understand the problem and can fund proper fixes.

It sets simple, clear reporting rules.

RIDDOR says you must report things like:

Injuries that keep someone off work for more than seven days

• Serious injuries the law lists
• These rules make sure no serious event gets ignored.
  

It increases trust and fairness.

Because everyone knows the rules, people feel the system is fair. Workers feel safer speaking up and managers stay more responsible.

In the end, RIDDOR works like a safety guide that helps everyone learn, improve, and keep the workplace safe every single day.

Where Is RIDDOR Used in the Workplace?

RIDDOR is important in almost every workplace. It helps keep people safe and makes sure accidents are taken seriously.

You can see RIDDOR in places like:

• Construction sites: Workers use heavy tools and work at heights. Reporting helps stop serious injuries.
• Hospitals and care homes: Staff lift patients and face slips or other hazards. Reporting keeps them safe.
• Warehouses: Moving goods all day can be risky. Reports help managers fix dangers quickly.
• Offices: Even offices have trips, electrical problems, or broken equipment. RIDDOR makes sure these are checked.
• Schools and colleges: Busy places can have accidents. Reporting protects staff and students.
• Hotels, cafés, and kitchens: Burns, cuts and slips are common. Reporting helps prevent them.
• Factories: Machines and chemicals can be dangerous. RIDDOR keeps work safe.

Not every event needs a full report, but every accident or near miss should be checked. Workplaces use RIDDOR to keep staff safe. It helps create a safer place for everyone.

Final Thoughts on RIDDOR and Staff Protection

RIDDOR might seem like just another rule, but it’s really a simple way to keep people safe. When accidents get reported, teams can learn what went wrong, fix the problem and stop the same thing from happening again. It builds trust, supports staff, and shows that safety is something everyone cares about.

RIDDOR also encourages honest reporting and quick action, which helps create a workplace where people feel protected and valued. At its heart, RIDDOR is a reminder that every worker deserves a safe place to work — and every report helps make that happen.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What 5 things must be reported to RIDDOR?

Five things must be reported to RIDDOR:

• Deaths at work
• Serious injuries
• Injuries that keep someone off work for over seven days
• Work-related diseases
• Dangerous events or near misses

2. What are the 7 categories of RIDDOR?

The 7 RIDDOR categories are:

• Deaths at work
• Serious injuries
• Injuries keep someone off work for over seven days
• Injuries to the public or volunteers
• Work-related diseases
• Dangerous events or near misses
• Gas incidents

3. How long after an accident can I claim?

• You can claim up to three years after an accident. For car claims, tell your insurer quickly. Special rules apply for children or others.

4. What are the four types of injuries?

• The four common types of injuries are back injuries, brain injuries, burns, and paralysis. Injuries can be classified in different ways.

5. What is the difference between an incident and an accident?

• An incident is an unplanned event that might cause harm. An accident is when harm, injury, or damage actually happens.