Law that requires reporting
RIDDOR 2013
SI 2013/1471
Over-7-day deadline
15 days
from date of accident
Injuries reported 2024–25
59,219
HSE employee statistics
Upfront cost
£0
No Win No Fee basis
Written by
Azhar Ali
Personal Injury Solicitor at Claim Time Solicitors, Birmingham. Handling personal injury and child injury claims across England and Wales on a No Win No Fee basis.
This guide is reviewed against the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1471), current HSE guidance, and SRA standards. It is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It is the UK law that requires employers to report serious workplace accidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Whether your employer has to report your specific accident depends on the severity of your injury. Deaths, specified injuries (such as fractures other than fingers, thumbs and toes), any injury causing more than seven consecutive days off normal duties, certain diseases, and dangerous occurrences must all be reported. Not being RIDDOR-reported does not prevent you from making a personal injury claim.
If you have been injured at work, one of the first things you might hear is the word “RIDDOR.” So what is RIDDOR, and why does it matter to you? In short, it is the law that determines whether your employer was legally required to report your accident to the HSE.
Understanding RIDDOR helps you know whether your employer met their legal obligations after your injury, and what it means if they did not.
This guide explains RIDDOR in plain English. It covers which accidents must be reported, how the over-7-day rule actually works, what happens if your employer doesn’t comply, and what RIDDOR means or doesn’t mean for any personal injury claim you might make.
What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR is the law that requires employers to report serious workplace accidents to the Health and Safety Executive. It stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Definition
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1471)
RIDDOR came into force on 1 October 2013, replacing the previous RIDDOR 1995 regulations. It is made under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and applies to all work activities in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate equivalent regulations. The regulations place reporting duties on employers, the self-employed, and those in control of work premises — collectively called “responsible persons.”
RIDDOR exists to give regulators visibility of serious workplace incidents. The HSE uses RIDDOR data to identify high-risk industries, investigate serious accidents, enforce safety law, and shape policy. In 2024–25, the HSE recorded 59,219 workplace injuries reported under RIDDOR but this significantly understates the true number of workplace accidents, many of which are either not reportable or are not reported when they should be
From your perspective as an injured worker, RIDDOR matters for two reasons. First, it tells you whether your employer had a legal duty to report what happened to you — and whether they met it. Second, a RIDDOR report creates an official, contemporaneous record that can support a personal injury claim, though it is not required to make one.
Which accidents does an employer have to report under RIDDOR?
RIDDOR requires employers to report deaths, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences. Not all workplace accidents are reportable — the thresholds matter.
1. Deaths
Any work-related death must be reported. This includes deaths that occur within one year of a work-related accident, even if the incident was already reported. Suicides are not reportable.
2. Specified injuries to workers
These are injuries serious enough to require immediate reporting. The full list under Regulation 4 and Schedule 1 of RIDDOR 2013 includes:
| Injury type | Reportable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fractures | Yes | Except fractures to fingers, thumbs, and toes — these are specifically excluded. |
| Amputations | Yes | Any amputation to the body. |
| Loss of sight | Yes | Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss or reduction of sight. |
| Crush injury to head or body | Yes | Causing damage to internal organs. |
| Serious burns | Yes | Burns covering more than 10% of the body, or burns damaging the eyes, respiratory system, or vital organs. |
| Scalping | Yes | Scalping injuries requiring hospital treatment. |
| Loss of consciousness from head injury or asphyxia | Yes | Including loss of consciousness caused by electric shock. |
| Confined space injury | Yes | Hypothermia, heat illness, or requiring resuscitation or more than 24 hours of hospital admission. |
| Broken finger, thumb, or toe | Not specified | Excluded from specified injuries, but may still be reportable under the over-7-day rule. |
3. Injuries to non-workers
If a member of the public a customer, visitor, or contractor is injured at your workplace and taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment, this must be reported. Attendance for examination only (without treatment) does not trigger reporting.
4. Occupational diseases
Certain work-related diseases must be reported when they are diagnosed and the employee’s work involves the associated activity. These include carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, and tendonitis of the hand or forearm, among others.
5. Dangerous occurrences
Schedule 2 of RIDDOR lists 27 categories of dangerous occurrence serious near-misses that must be reported even when nobody was injured. These include scaffold collapses, lifting equipment failures, electrical incidents causing loss of consciousness, and certain gas incidents.
The over-7-day rule how to count the days correctlya
If a work accident leaves you unable to perform your normal duties for more than seven consecutive days, your employer must report it to the HSE within 15 days of the accident. Weekends and rest days count. The accident day itself does not.
This is the RIDDOR trigger that causes the most confusion — and the most under-reporting. Many employers miscount, exclude weekends, or misclassify employees on light duties as “back at work.” Here is exactly how the count works.
(not counted)
Weekend counts
Weekend counts
Report required within 15 days
Light duties count as incapacitation. If you return to work on modified or restricted duties — because you cannot perform your normal job that still counts as incapacitation under RIDDOR. The threshold is not about attendance; it is about whether you can perform your normal duties. An employee on light duties who crosses seven days still triggers reporting.
The report must be made within 15 days of the accident — not 15 days from when the threshold is crossed. If a Monday accident results in the employee still being incapacitated on the following Tuesday (day 8), the employer must report to the HSE by the Monday 15 days after the original accident.
How long does an employer have to report an accident under RIDDOR? Deadlines at a glance
Fatal and specified injuries must be reported without delay as soon as practicable. Over-7-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the accident. All reports go to the HSE online at hse.gov.uk/riddor , or by phone for fatalities and major injuries only.
| Incident type | Deadline | How to report |
|---|---|---|
| Death or specified major injury | Without delay — HSE interprets this as within 10 days | Online at hse.gov.uk/riddor or by phone: 0345 300 9923 (working hours only) |
| Over-7-day incapacitation | Within 15 days of the accident | Online only — the phone line is not for over-7-day reports |
| Occupational disease | Without delay after diagnosis is confirmed | Online at hse.gov.uk/riddor |
| Dangerous occurrence | Without delay | Online or by phone for the most serious incidents |
Records of all RIDDOR reports and of all workplace accidents where the employee was off normal duties for more than three consecutive days, even if not reportable must be kept for at least three years under Regulation 12 of RIDDOR 2013.
RIDDOR vs the accident book what's the difference?
These are two separate things that are often confused.
| Accident Book Entry | RIDDOR Report |
|---|---|
| Internal company record | Legal notification submitted to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). |
| Required for most workplace accidents | Only required for incidents that meet the reporting criteria under RIDDOR. |
| Helps employers investigate incidents | Allows the HSE to monitor workplace safety and investigate serious events. |
| Kept by the employer | Submitted online (or by telephone for fatalities and specified injuries) to the HSE. |
| Does not replace a compensation claim | Does not automatically create a personal injury claim or prove employer negligence. |
Both records matter. The accident book entry is often the first piece of evidence you can obtain, and you are entitled to a copy. Always request one in writing. If your employer refuses, note that refusal and let your solicitor know.
What happens if my employer doesn't report my accident under RIDDOR?
Failing to report a RIDDOR-reportable incident is a criminal offence. But your employer’s failure to report does not prevent you from making a personal injury claim — you can still proceed without a RIDDOR report.
Under RIDDOR 2013, failure to report is a criminal offence. Employers who do not comply can be investigated by the HSE, prosecuted, fined, and in serious cases face imprisonment. The HSE takes non-reporting seriously, particularly where an unreported incident later results in a fatality or major injury.
If you believe your employer should have reported your accident and has not done so, you can contact the HSE directly. The HSE Incident Contact Centre accepts reports from employees and members of the public who believe a reportable incident has not been properly reported. You can also raise a formal concern through the HSE website at hse.gov.uk/contact .
“An employer failing to file a RIDDOR report when they should have done so tells you something about how seriously they take their safety obligations. It also leaves a gap in the official record — which is exactly why you should act quickly to preserve your own evidence independently.”
Does a RIDDOR report help my personal injury claim?
A RIDDOR report can strengthen a personal injury claim because it creates an official regulatory record that is difficult for an insurer to dispute. But it is not required — many successful claims are brought without one.
A RIDDOR report is one piece of evidence in what will be a broader evidential picture. It tells an insurer — and a court, if it comes to that — that your employer formally notified the HSE that a serious incident occurred. It is an official, contemporaneous document that your employer completed under legal obligation. That makes it harder to dispute than an internal accident book entry alone.
However, RIDDOR reports do not establish fault. A report simply records that an incident occurred and met the reporting threshold. It does not determine who was responsible or what compensation is appropriate. A personal injury claim still needs to establish that your employer breached their duty of care and that breach caused your injury — and this is done through medical evidence, witness statements, photographs, and accident records, with or without a RIDDOR report.
| Evidence | With RIDDOR Report | Without RIDDOR Report |
|---|---|---|
| Accident circumstances | Officially recorded | Must rely on accident book, witnesses and other evidence |
| Employer knowledge | Shows the employer acknowledged the incident. | Can still be proved using emails, reports or witness evidence. |
| Medical records | Still required to prove the injury. | Still required to prove the injury. |
| Witness statements | Helpful supporting evidence. | Often becomes more important where no RIDDOR report exists. |
| Photographs / CCTV | Supports how the accident happened. | May become key evidence where the employer disputes the incident. |
| Compensation claim | RIDDOR does not automatically prove negligence. | A claim can still succeed without a RIDDOR report if negligence is proven. |
Can I lose my job for reporting a workplace accident?
No. Dismissing or penalising an employee for reporting a health and safety concern or pursuing a personal injury claim is automatically unfair dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996, section 100. The protection applies from day one.
This is the concern that stops more people from acting than any other. The fear is understandable, but the legal protection is clear and applies regardless of how long you have worked for your employer.
Automatically unfair dismissal means there is no qualifying period. You do not need two years of service to be protected from dismissal for reporting a workplace accident or pursuing a personal injury claim. If your employer dismisses or penalises you for doing so, you have strong grounds to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal in addition to any personal injury claim.
Pressure from employers can be subtle. Watch for sudden changes in shifts or duties after you report an accident, unexplained poor performance reviews, exclusion from team communications, or comments suggesting your injury is your own fault. Document everything — dates, what was said, who was present. A pattern of this behaviour is a significant warning sign.
Summary
Whether your employer has to report your accident depends entirely on the severity of your injury. RIDDOR 2013 requires employers to report deaths, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences. Minor accidents that don’t cross these thresholds must be recorded in the accident book but don’t need to go to the HSE.
The over-7-day rule is the most frequently misapplied part of RIDDOR. The accident day is not counted. Weekends and rest days are. Light duties count as incapacitation. The report must reach the HSE within 15 days of the accident — not 15 days from when the threshold is crossed.
If your employer didn’t report your accident when they should have, that is a criminal offence — but it does not prevent you from making a personal injury claim. A RIDDOR report is useful evidence, not a requirement. Your medical records, accident book entry, photographs, and witness statements are the core of any claim, regardless of whether a RIDDOR report was filed.
Fear of losing your job is the most common reason people don’t act after a workplace injury. The Employment Rights Act 1996 makes dismissal for pursuing a legitimate personal injury claim automatically unfair — with no qualifying period. The protection applies from day one of employment.
Key takeaways
- Not all workplace accidents trigger RIDDOR reporting — only deaths, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences. Minor injuries go in the accident book only.
- Specified injuries include fractures (except fingers, thumbs, and toes), amputations, loss of sight, serious burns over 10% of the body, and loss of consciousness from head injury or asphyxia.
- The over-7-day rule is about normal duties, not attendance — employees on light duties still count as incapacitated. Weekends and rest days are included. The accident day is not.
- Deadlines matter — fatal and specified injuries must be reported without delay; over-7-day injuries within 15 days of the accident. All reports go to hse.gov.uk/riddor.
- Failure to report is a criminal offence — but it does not end your right to claim. You can pursue compensation whether or not a RIDDOR report was filed.
- A RIDDOR report strengthens a claim but is not required — medical records, the accident book, CCTV, photographs, and witness statements are the primary evidence base.
- CCTV is typically overwritten within 28 days — request preservation in writing immediately. A solicitor can send a formal preservation letter on your behalf.
- Dismissal for pursuing a claim is automatically unfair under the Employment Rights Act 1996, s.100. No qualifying employment period required.
Sources & References
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR 2013) — Defines which workplace accidents, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) — RIDDOR Guidance — Official guidance on who must report, what must be reported, reporting deadlines and how to submit a RIDDOR report.
- HSE — Submit a RIDDOR Report — Official online reporting service for employers, self-employed people and those in control of work premises.
- Health and Safety Executive — Contact HSE — Contact information for reporting concerns where a reportable workplace incident has not been notified correctly.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — The primary legislation placing duties on employers to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by their work.
- Limitation Act 1980, Section 11 — Establishes the standard three-year limitation period for most personal injury claims in England and Wales.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RIDDOR?
Does my employer have to report my accident at work?
How long does an employer have to report an accident under RIDDOR?
What happens if my employer doesn't report my accident under RIDDOR?
Child personal injury claims can arise from any accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Common types include road traffic accidents, accidents at school caused by inadequate supervision, injuries from defective products, slips and trips on unsafe premises, playground accidents due to poor maintenance, dog attacks, and sports injuries where a coach or organisation failed in their duty of care.
Does a RIDDOR report help my personal injury claim?
It can. A RIDDOR report is an official regulatory record that is difficult for an insurer to dispute. It creates a contemporaneous acknowledgment that a serious incident occurred. However, it does not establish fault or guarantee compensation. Many successful personal injury claims are brought without a RIDDOR report — the key evidence is your medical records, accident book entry, witness statements, and photographs.
What is the over-7-day rule under RIDDOR?
Any work-related accident leaving an employee unable to perform their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days must be reported to the HSE. The day of the accident is excluded. Weekends and rest days are included. In practice this means at least eight days must have passed since the accident. Light duties count as incapacitation — you don’t need to be fully absent. The employer must report within 15 days of the date of the accident.
Glossary of Key Terms
Disclaimer: The information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. RIDDOR guidance is based on the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/1471) and current HSE guidance as of June 2026. Employers should refer to hse.gov.uk/riddor for the most current reporting requirements. Claim Time Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (ID No. 444171) and is an accredited member of The Law Society. No Win No Fee refers to a Conditional Fee Agreement; the solicitor’s success fee is capped at 25% of compensation. Terms apply.
