LEGAL GUIDE · ENGLAND & WALES
If you have been seriously injured at work, your employer may have been legally required to report your accident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The law that governs this obligation is called RIDDOR — the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. Understanding RIDDOR is useful if you are making an accident at work claim, because a RIDDOR report can provide valuable independent evidence that your accident occurred and that your injuries were serious.
This guide explains what RIDDOR is, what must be reported, and what it means for your compensation claim — whether your employer filed a report or failed to.
In plain English:RIDDOR requires employers to report certain workplace accidents to the HSE. A RIDDOR report is an official record made at the time of the accident — before any dispute about your claim arises. That makes it powerful evidence.
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What Does RIDDOR Stand For?
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1471). It replaced earlier versions of the same regulations and is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in England and Wales.
What Must Be Reported Under RIDDOR?
RIDDOR creates reporting duties for four main categories:
1. Deaths
All work-related deaths must be reported to the HSE immediately.
2. Specified Injuries to Workers
These are serious injuries that must be reported immediately (by telephone) and confirmed in writing within 10 days. Specified injuries include:
- A fracture, other than to a finger, thumb, or toe
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot, or toe
- Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
- Any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
- Serious burns covering more than 10% of the body, or causing damage to the eyes, respiratory system, or other vital organs
- Any degree of scalping requiring hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
- Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
3. Over-Seven-Day Injuries
Where a worker is incapacitated from their normal work duties for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident), the employer must report this to the HSE within 15 days of the accident. This is a common scenario in moderate workplace injury cases — and means many more claims involve a RIDDOR report than workers realise.
4. Occupational Diseases
Employers must report certain occupational diseases when a worker is diagnosed with a condition caused by their work. Reportable conditions include: carpal tunnel syndrome (from vibration), cramp of the hand or forearm (from repetitive work), occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), occupational asthma, tendonitis or tenosynovitis in the hand or forearm, and any occupational cancer.
5. Dangerous Occurrences (“Near Misses”)
Certain near-miss events that had the potential to cause serious injury must also be reported — including scaffold collapses, unintended explosions, accidental releases of biological agents, electrical short circuits causing fire, and the collapse of lifting equipment.
How Does a RIDDOR Report Help Your Claim?
A RIDDOR report is made at the time of the accident, before any dispute about liability arises. This means it is an independent contemporaneous record, not something reconstructed later. It can help your claim in several ways:
- It confirms the accident occurred on the date and at the location you state
- It confirms the seriousness of your injuries — the employer’s own reporting triggers when injuries meet defined thresholds
- It shows the employer was aware of the accident at the time
- A copy of the report can be obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the HSE, or through disclosure in litigation
What If My Employer Did Not File a RIDDOR Report?
Failing to file a required RIDDOR report is a criminal offence under the Regulations. It does not prevent you from making a compensation claim, but it can work in your favour:
- It suggests the employer did not take the accident — or their legal obligations — seriously
- It is potential evidence of a poor health and safety culture
- It may prompt an HSE investigation, particularly for serious accidents
Your solicitor can ask the HSE whether a RIDDOR report was ever filed for your accident and, if not, can note the failure in the Letter of Claim to the defendant’s insurer.
Common misconception:Workers sometimes believe that if no RIDDOR report was filed, they have no evidence and therefore no claim. This is wrong. Medical records, witness evidence, photographs, and your own account are all independent evidence of the accident. A missing RIDDOR report is relevant but not fatal to a claim.
How to Find Out If a RIDDOR Report Was Filed
Your solicitor can request this information on your behalf. Options include:
- Requesting disclosure of any RIDDOR report from your employer in the pre-action protocol process
- Making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the HSE for any reports filed relating to your accident
- If an HSE investigation was carried out following your accident, the investigation records may include the RIDDOR report
Want to know whether a RIDDOR report was filed for your accident? NJS Law will find out and advise you as part of your free initial assessment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It requires employers and certain other duty holders to report specified workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is enforced by the HSE and failure to comply is a criminal offence.
Does my employer have to file a RIDDOR report for every accident at work?
No. Only accidents resulting in specified injuries, deaths, over-seven-day incapacity, certain occupational diseases, or defined dangerous occurrences must be reported. Minor accidents causing less than seven days’ absence do not trigger a RIDDOR reporting duty — though they should still be recorded in the accident book.
Can I get a copy of the RIDDOR report filed about my accident?
Yes. Your solicitor can obtain this through the pre-action disclosure process — by requesting all accident-related documentation from your employer — or through a Freedom of Information request to the HSE. If an HSE investigation was conducted following the accident, records from that investigation may also be available.
My employer filed a RIDDOR report but described the accident differently to me. What do I do?
Tell your solicitor. Discrepancies between what a RIDDOR report states and your account of events are not uncommon — employers sometimes file inaccurate reports that minimise their own responsibility. Your solicitor can challenge an inaccurate RIDDOR account with medical records, witness evidence, and photographs taken at the time.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice on your specific circumstances, please contact NJS Law directly.
For a full overview of accident at work claims, including eligibility, time limits and the claims process, see NJS Law’s accident at work claims service page.
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