News
Changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurances Regulations (RIDDOR)
What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR is the law that requires employers, and other people who are in control of work premises, to report and keep records of:
- work-related deaths;
- serious injuries;
- cases of diagnosed industrial disease; and
- certain 'dangerous occurrences' (near miss incidents).
From 6 April 2012, the over-three-day reporting requirement for people injured at work will change to more than seven days. From then you only have to report injuries that lead to a worker being incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days, as the result of an occupational accident or inury (not counting the day of the accident but including weekends and rest days). The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.
Incapacitation means that the worker is absent, or is unable to do work that they would reasonably be expected to do as part of their normal work.
You must still keep a record of the accident if the worker has been incapacitated for more than three consecutive days. If you are an employer, who must keep an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, that record can be treated as a record for the purposes of RIDDOR.
These are the main changes to the reporting requirements for deaths, major injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurences that employers need to be aware of.
Making it easier to comply with the law
HSE has published a new version of its approved Health and Safety Law poster. Here we explain why it has been changed and how it will affect you…
What is the law poster?
Employers have a legal duty to display the poster in a prominent position in their workplace, or provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent leaflet outlining Britain’s health and safety laws. The new poster updates the current one, which was published in April 1999.
Why do we need a new one?
The new poster reflex recent changes in the law to reduce the amount of information employers have to provide. It also takes account of the HSE Board’s programme for making health and safety information more accessible:
- It is easier to use and tell workers what they need to do in simple terms, using numbered lists of basic points.
- Employers no longer have to provide contact details of their enforcing authority (they can add details of employee safety representatives or other health and safety contacts but this is not compulsory).
- The leaflet has been replaced by a pocket card more suited to the workplace and the information will be available in a wide range of formats, including large print and easy read.
All new law posters will have a uniquely numbered hologram to prove authenticity. When HSE last changed the law poster, some unscrupulous companies sold their own posters, as well as telling employers they needed to replace their posters straight away or display them at each entrance to their premises.
Do the current posters have to be replaced?
To avoid unnecessary burden on businesses, the HSE Board has set a five-year transition period. The current poster must be replaced by the new one, and the current leaflets by the new pocket cards, by 5 April 2014. However, employers who choose to retain the old poster need to make sure it is readable and must keep the addresses of the enforcing authority and the Employment Medical Advisory Service up to date.
Where can you get a copy of the new poster?
You can order through HSE Books (tel: 01787 881165) or through booksellers.
