RIDDOR | An Ultimate Guide
What does RIDDOR stand for?
So, what does RIDDOR mean? Firstly, RIDDOR stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. This means, the employer or person in charge of a workplace is responsible for logging RIDDOR if an incident occurs. Reports should be logged as soon as possible, but they have to be logged in ten days. If you are an employee and witness an incident, you must report it to a superior member of staff in order for it to be reported as a RIDDOR incident.
Once a RIDDOR incident has been reported, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will investigate the report. If an incident results in a death or extremely serious injury, HSE will look into the workplace. This is to see if relevant Health and Safety regulations are in place and being followed. Should the incident not be that serious, it is unlikely that HSE will take it further. However, you will still need to report the incident if it meets the guidelines below.
What does RIDDOR mean?
RIDDOR defines that there are seven categories that an incident can fall into. These categories are as follows:
- Fatalities
- Specified Injuries
- 7+ Day Injuries
- Injury to the Public or Somebody Not at Work
- Diseases Caused By Work-Related Activity
- Dangerous Occurrences
- Gas-Related Incidents
Why is RIDDOR important?
RIDDOR enforces a standard of transparency between companies and the Health and Safety Executive. It is of paramount importance that companies and workplaces follow Health and Safety procedures. Consequently, this is done to mitigate risks and keep employees and the public safe. These regulations must definitely not be overlooked, especially in industries such as construction which involve a great deal of risks: heavy machinery, toxic chemicals and working at heights, among others.
What are RIDDOR reportable injuries?
RIDDOR denotes an extensive list of which injuries and incidents can be reported. An incident is reportable if it occurred due a work-related action. These are all the injuries or incidents that fall in the categories above. So, if an incident doesn’t fall into the categories, chances are it won’t need to be reported. If you’re unsure, it’s best to check with your supervisor or site manager. You can consult with the advice from HSE if you are the site manager to assess whether a report needs to be made.
Types of reportable injuries
Fatalities
Fatalities at work most definitely need to be reported to HSE as soon as possible. Not reporting a death could lead to potential jail-time and extensive fines for the company. If a death occurs, it is imperative that health and safety procedures in place are reviewed. The only exception to a fatality being reported is a suicide. There is no moral implication on a working environment to assume there it had any impact on a suicide. This is the same for mental health issues.
Specified Injuries for RIDDOR
Specified injuries are listed as:
- Organ damage from equipment or heavy materials.
- Amputation of limbs such as fingers, arms, toes and legs.
- Fractures to anywhere except fingers, thumbs or toes.
- Burns which cover over ten percent of the body.
- Loss or reduction of sight for any reason within the workplace.
- Any incidents which cause an injury to the head and separate the skin;
- Unconsciousness caused by asphyxiation, hypothermia or any other related condition which requires urgent medical care.
Work-Related Diseases
Illnesses and diseases caused by the workplace are reportable by RIDDOR. This includes repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or severe cramps. Skin conditions caused by irritants and toxic chemicals must be reported if they cause excessive problems such as dermatitis. This is also the case for occupational asthma and hand-arm vibration syndrome. Much more seriously, any cancers arising from an employee’s occupation must be logged, as well as any other diseases or illnesses caused by repetitive use of chemicals.
Seven Day Injuries
Seven day injuries are simply what they sound like. These are injuries that cost the employee over one week of work due to a work-related injury. This can include weekends and days of rest too. Any incident which requires an employee to take more than seven days out of work must be reported under RIDDOR. If a worker is required to take three days off due to work-related injury, they must record this injury, but not report it.
Injury to Public
These reports must be issued whenever there has been injury to a member of the public. These generally occur for injuries that are more serious and require a hospital visit. However, the accident must be the fault of the workplace or failure of safety precautions implemented by the company in order to be reported.
Dangerous Occurrences
These instances arise when fatalities could have potentially happened. This report is for close-calls and other dangerous incidents where health and safety should have prevented these accidents. There are many different examples of dangerous occurrences and many of them can be mitigated. An extensive list of dangerous occurrences can be found here.
Gas Incidents
Gas incidents are a whole different ball-game of health and safety regulations. Wherever an employee or member of the public has become deceased, lost consciousness or needed hospital treatment due to the nature of a gas accident or malfunction, a report is needed. Qualified gas fitting specialists assess whether or not a gas installation is safe. This can then be reported to prevent accidents from happening.
Preventing RIDDOR dangerous occurrences
Dangerous occurrences are usually incidents that almost resulted in death or serious harm. These close-calls need repercussions to try and prevent them from ever happening again. Dangerous occurrences usually include the collapse of heavy equipment, spills of toxic substances, flames due to electrical faults or explosions from flammable materials. Many dangerous occurrences are avoidable if proper safety regulations are followed. Usually after dangerous occurrences Health and Safety changes will be put in place. It is important to try and minimise the chance of ever having a dangerous occurrence.
Dangers of construction
There is no doubt that there are many risks involved with the construction industry. A project will have to be analysed and assessed before being approved to make sure it will be carried out safely and professionally. There are expensive financial factors at risk. Also, there are lives and property at risk too. Each construction site needs a qualified Site Supervisor or Site Manager to assess any potential risks or issues that could arise.
What happens if you don’t report RIDDOR
Health and Safety within any industry is incredibly important for everybody. If an employer or business-owner fails to log a reportable incident, they could face criminal charges or a large penalty fine. The consequences of not logging these incidents is not worth the implications. It is so important that any injury or incident is reported. There are instances where you won’t have to report RIDDOR. Examples of this include mental health issues, natural hazards, personal matters leading to violence at work.
It also includes traffic accidents not at a workplace or involving an employee. These are all examples of incidents that don’t need to be reported. There is an extensive list and advice on the HSE website for further information if you are unsure.
Construction industry RIDDOR training
When entering the world of construction, you must be given the adequate health and safety training. Construction is a dangerous world of hazardous materials, heavy lifting and complex machinery. Training of all health and safety regulations – as well as common sense! – should be explained in great detail when dealing with environments full of risk. Taking accredited and recognised courses online can help give you all the training you need if you want to ensure your knowledge is at an industry standard. Many courses explain all the health and safety regulations in depth.
Site supervisory courses with RIDDOR
A Site Supervisory course is a great way to start off your career in leadership. By becoming qualified as a site supervisor you’ll gain professional competence as well as being able to confidently manager and delegate tasks to your team. Here at the College of Contract Management we offer a CIOB Level 3 Diploma in Site Supervisory. This course will help you to develop your professional skills as a supervisor. It is a course awarded by the CIOB which are well-recognised worldwide in the industry as a benchmark for safety and quality assurance.
RIDDOR site management courses
This course is a CIOB accredited course in Site Management. Managers oversee all important contractual and management aspects. This course might be for you. The management aspect of construction is exciting and constantly changing. It’s a role which is greatly rewarding, but also needs great responsibility. Also being accredited by the CIOB, this course ensures you are professionally competent and have excellent knowledge of health and safety.
This certificate course will also give you the opportunity to apply for a CSCS White Card. This is highly respected in the industry. It is an achievement which is known for demonstrating health and safety requirements effectively. By taking the diploma site management course, you are eligible to apply for a CSCS Black Card.
CIOB membership programme
We also have a CIOB Chartered Membership Programme. This is an important step in any construction worker’s career. Being an MCIOB officially shows your professional health and safety understanding among many other desirable traits in the industry. Our Membership Programme will guide you towards gaining your chartered membership with help through the programme and the CIOB’s Professional Review. This course is tailored towards those with 5 or more years experience in the construction industry.
Why choose the College of Contract Management
Here at the College of Contract Management we provide excellent live online courses. These courses are designed to help you onto your chosen career path. You will be able to access weekly live lectures with industry recognised professional lecturers. Therefore, you can ask questions in real-time and discuss topics with your classmates. We wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss out on the wonderful class-like experience by studying online. The atmosphere of a normal classroom is brought to you online. Moodle is our online virtual learning platform. From here, you can access all your course materials and resources.
Learn RIDDOR while you work
One of the best things about taking one of our Site Supervisory or Site Management courses is that you can keep your full time job and learn while you work. It means you won’t have to give up your career while gaining qualifications towards bettering yourself and your job opportunities. This means you can learn about RIDDOR through our live online courses. You can also put it into practice in your workplace. Also, you’ll gain other valuable skills that will help towards your career goals.
Benefits of online courses
Taking a course online opens many avenues of self development. Furthermore, our courses are a more economically favourable option and you’ll taught by industry professionals. They will give you all the help and support you need throughout your course. The live online courses here at the College of Contract Management are excellent for those looking to gain qualifications. By taking this courses online you won’t be sacrificing work hours or monthly income.
These courses are more affordable than traditional courses and we can arrange a payment plan to spread the cost. In conclusion, if you are interested, you can contact our team here for more information.