Accident

Workplace accidents in terms of Health and Safety (H&S) are a significant concern for both employers and employees. In the UK, the law requires employers, and other people in charge of work premises, to report and keep records of work-related accidents. This law is known as the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). It covers work-related accidents which cause deaths, certain serious injuries (reportable injuries), diagnosed cases of certain industrial diseases, and certain ‘dangerous occurrences’ (incidents with the potential to cause harm).

In October 2013, RIDDOR underwent changes to simplify the reporting requirements. The classification of ‘major injuries’ to workers was replaced with a shorter list of ‘specified injuries’. The existing schedule detailing 47 types of industrial disease was replaced with eight categories of reportable work-related illness. Fewer types of ‘dangerous occurrence’ now require reporting.

However, there were no significant changes to the reporting requirements for fatal accidents, accidents to non-workers (members of the public), and accidents which result in the incapacitation of a worker for more than seven days.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in the year 2023/24, 87 members of the public were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain. The HSE provides access to statistics on work-related ill-health, injuries, dangerous occurrences, enforcement, and gas safety. These statistics are crucial in understanding the scale and nature of workplace accidents and implementing measures to prevent them.

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