These regulations inform employers and the self-employed when to report an accident or health problem to ‘HSE’.
Definitions(r2)
Significant definitions are:
‘accident’ which includes an act of non-consensual physical violence done to a person at work and relates to incidents ‘arising out of or in connection with work’
‘Violence’ may include the following scenarios
- an employee hit by a supervisor while being given feedback on work performance
- a supervisor hit by an employee while giving an instruction to carry out a work related task
- an employee injured while engaging in horseplay with other employees;
but does not include
- an employee working on a factory production line hitting another during an argument over a personal matter.
Death(r3,4)
(HSE) shall be notified immediately and sent a report (form F2508) within 10 days following a death at work; also if death results within one year of suffering an injury or condition which is the cause of death.
Injury(r.3)(sch 1)
(HSE) shall be notified immediately and sent a report form (F2508) within 10 days following an accident in which a person suffers any of the following injuries:
- fracture other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes
- amputation
- dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
- loss of sight (whether temporary or permanent) including chemical or hot metal burn or penetrating injury to the eye
- electric shock or electric burn leading to unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
- any other injury
- leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or to unconsciousness,
- requiring resuscitation, or
- requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
- loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen or exposure or absorption of a substance or biological agent
- acute illness due to absorption of a substance or exposure to a biological agent its toxins or infected material.
Lost time(r3)
(HSE) shall be sent a report form (F2508) within 10 days where a person is incapacitated for work for more than 3 consecutive days, excluding the day of the accident (but including days which would not have been working days).
Dangerous occurrences(r3)(sch 2)
(HSE) shall be notified immediately and sent a report (form F2508) within 10 days following a dangerous occurrence relating to:
- lifting machinery - collapse, overturning, or failure of any loadbearing part of any:
- lift or hoist;
- crane or derrick;
- mobile powered access platform;
- access cradle or window-cleaning cradle;
- excavator;
- pile-driving frame or rig over 7 metres;
- or fork lift truck
- pressure systems - failure of any closed vessel or associated pipework where the failure has the potential to cause death
- freight containers - failure of any load bearing part during lifting operations
- overhead electric lines - unintentional contact by plant or equipment or electrical discharge due to proximity with overhead uninsulated line exceeding 200 volts
- electrical short circuit - attended by fire or explosion resulting in 24 hours stoppage of work or with the potential to cause death
- explosives - any unintentional ignition or explosion (with exceptions for discharge of weapons, or where fail-safe devices prevented injury); shot-failure in demolition operations; projection of material which might have caused injury; injury requiring first aid-treatment
- biological agents - actual or potential release or escape likely to cause severe human infection or illness
- radiation generators - malfunction causing failure to de-energise or return to safe position after intended exposure
- breathing apparatus - malfunction while in use, or during test prior to use which could have posed a danger to health or safety (except when being maintained or routinely tested)
- diving operations - incidents relating to lifting equipment, life support, trapping etc.
- collapse of scaffolding - where the scaffold was more than 5m high, or erected over water, or where suspended scaffold, working platform or cradle falls
- carriage of dangerous substances - overturning of road tanker/tank container or serious damage to a tank; involvement in fire or any uncontrolled release
- collapse of building or structure - any floor or wall of a building in use, and any unintentional fall of 5 tonnes or more of material during building works or demolition
- explosion or fire - from ignition of any material resulting in 24 hours stoppage of work
- escape of flammable substances - sudden, uncontrolled release inside a building, of 100kg or more of a flammable liquid, 10kg or more of a flammable liquid above its normal boiling point or flammable gas (or 500kg or more of any of these substances in the open air)
- escape of substances - sufficient to cause death, major injury or any other damage to health.
Similar criteria relate to incidents involving train collisions, wells (nonwater), pipelines or pipeline works, fairground equipment, mines, quarries, railways and offshore.
Disease(r5)(sch 3)
(HSE) shall be sent a report (form F2508A) forthwith where a person suffers a disease (reported by a registered medical practitioner) and their work involves one of the activities specified below.
Conditions due to physical agents or physical demands of the work
- inflammation, ulceration or malignant disease of the skin, malignant disease of the bones, blood dyscrasia due to work with ionising radiation
- cataract from exposure to electromagnetic radiation
- decompression illness, certain barotrauma, dysbaric osteocronosis due to breathing gases at increased pressure
- cramp of hand or forearm due to prolonged periods of handwriting, typing, or other repetitive movements of the fingers, hand or arm
- subcutaneous cellulitis of the hand, knee or elbow (eg beat hand) due to demanding work causing severe or prolonged friction or pressure on the hand, knee or elbow
- traumatic inflammation of the tendons (or tendon sheaths) of the hand or forearm due to demanding work, frequent or repeated movements, constrained postures and extremes of extending or flexing the hand or wrist
- carpal tunnel syndrome from work with hand-held vibrating tools
- hand-arm vibration syndrome from use of hand-held, rotary or percussive tools (eg saws, drills, grinders) or holding material to such tools.
Infections due to biological agents
- hepatitis from contact with human blood or human blood products; or a source of viral hepatitis
- legionellosis from work on or near water-based cooling systems or hot water service systems.
Others include diseases contracted from, or related to, work with animals or their remains such as anthrax, brucellosis, avian and ovine chlamydiosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, Q fever, rabies, streptococcus suis, tetanus, tuberculosis or work with micro-organisms.
Conditions due to substances
- poisoning by acrylamide monomer, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, carbon disulphide, dioxan, ethylene oxide, lead, manganese, mercury, methyl bromide, nitro chlorobenzene, oxides of nitrogen, phosphorus and compounds of any of the elements above
- cancer of a bronchus or lung caused by work in a factory where nickel is produced or involving exposure to hexavalent chrome compounds
- primary carcinoma of the lung (with silicosis) from work in foundries, glass manufacture, pottery, mining etc.
- cancer of the urinary tract from exposure to certain benzene derivatives
- bladder cancer aluminium smelting (soderberg process)
- angiosarcoma of the liver from polymerisation of vinyl chloride monomer
- peripheral neuropathy from exposure to n-hexane or methyl nbutyl ketone
- chrome ulceration from exposure to chromic acid or other chromic compound
- folliculitis, acne or skin cancer from exposure to mineral oil, tar, pitch or arsenic
- pneumoconiosis from sandblasting, foundry work, grindstone operations, boiler scaling or manufacture of carbon electrodes
- byssinosis from handling cotton or flax
- mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis from working or handling asbestos, products containing asbestos or cleaning of machinery used with asbestos
- cancer of the nose or sinus from work involving wood, leather, fibreboard or nickel
- occupational dermatitis from work involving exposure to epoxy resin, formaldehyde, metalworking fluids, chromate (hexavalent and derived from trivalent chromium), cement, plaster or concrete, acrylates and methacrylates, colophony (rosin) and its modified products, glutaraldehyde, mercaptobenzothiazole, thiurams, substituted paraphenylenediamines and related rubber processing chemicals, biocides, anti-bacterials, preservatives or disinfectants, organic solvents, strong acids or alkalis or other solutions (e.g. brine) and oxidising agents including domestic bleach or reducing agents; soaps and detergents, any other known irritant or sensitising agent including in particular any chemical bearing the warning ‘may cause sensitisation by skin contact’ or ‘irritating to the skin’ (also includes certain drugs and plants)
- occupational asthma from work involving exposure to isocyanates, platinum salts, fumes or dust from hardening agents (including epoxy resin curing agents) based on phthalic anhydride, tetrachlorophthalic anhydride, trimellitic anhydride or triethylenetetramine, rosin based soldering flux, wood dust, azodicarbonamide, glutaraldehyde, reactive dyes, fumes from stainless steel welding, any other sensitising agent, including in particular any chemical bearing the warning ‘may cause sensitisation by inhalation’ (also includes certain animals, plants and related products).
Special provisions
There are particular provisions in relation to the following -
- self-employed(r3,5,10) - the duty to report extends to the self-employed
- fuel gases(r6) - reporting of incidents relating to fuel gas containers, piped gas supplies and gas appliances rests with the supplier
- road accidents(r10) - reportable if the accident relates to
- the substance being carried
- loading or unloading of a vehicle
- roadworks, and works over or adjacent to the road
- other legislation(sch 6) - incidents connected with the following are reported under the respective legislation:
- air or sea travel
- explosives
- nuclear incidents
- ionising radiation
Records(r7)
A record of each incident (ie copy of the F2508 report) to be kept at the place of business for at least 3 years
Defence(r11)
Proof of being unaware of the event having taken all reasonable steps to have such events brought to notice
Reporting Of Injuries, Diseases And Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995(No 3163) The Stationery Office
Related information
see HSE’s ‘L’ and ‘HS(G)’ series including the following references available from HSE Books
L73 A guide to the Reporting Of Injuries, Diseases And Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995(ISBN 0 7176 2431 5) 1999
HSE 31 RIDDOR explained (ISBN 0 7176 2441 2) 1999
Combined pad of F2508 and F2508A forms (ISBN 0 7176 1078 0)
Social security (claims and payments) regulations 1979
Notice of accidents
An employee entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP) as a result of an accident at work has to inform the employer of the details as soon as is practicable.
Obligations of employers
Employers are to investigate the circumstances of every accident and to record any discrepancies; also to provide any information requested by the Department of Health (DH). An accident book (form BI 510) shall be kept for recording the details of accidents causing injury to employees, the book to be kept for 3 years after the last entry.
Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979 (No. 628), The Stationery Office.
Related information
see the following references available from the Contributions Agency
CA 30 The Employer’s Guide to Statutory Sick Pay
CA 29 The Employer’s Guide to Statutory Maternity Pay
A copy of each of these is sent to every employer with the annual Inland Revenue information pack. You should be able to find one with your finance department (or whoever holds the wage records for your company).
Further information is also available in EEF’s Employment Guide.