How to make a RIDDOR report on HSE forms or by phone in GB
A RIDDOR report is made by the responsible person on HSE's online forms. Phone 0345 300 9923 only for deaths and specified injuries to workers.
How to make a RIDDOR report
In Great Britain, a RIDDOR report is made by the responsible person, usually the employer, on the right online form from HSE's reporting page. That page limits phone reporting on 0345 300 9923 to fatal accidents and specified injuries to workers. The line is open Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5 pm (HSE contact page).
RIDDOR reporting is the legal duty under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. An internal accident book entry does not replace a report through HSE's reporting system. These steps apply in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland uses separate 1997 regulations and different thresholds, including over-three-day injuries, so use HSENI's incident reporting page for incidents there.
Who makes a RIDDOR report
HSE says reports should be submitted by the responsible person. Employers' responsibilities for RIDDOR cover their workers. People who control work premises, and some self-employed people, can also hold the duty (HSE: who should report). Work out who holds the duty before you pick a form.
For self-employed people, it depends on where the accident happened. If they suffer a reportable injury at someone else's work premises, the person in control of those premises reports. If a qualifying accident happens at their own premises or at a domestic property, the self-employed person reports it. They also report their own qualifying diagnosed diseases (HSE).
Employees' responsibilities under RIDDOR
Employees don't submit RIDDOR reports for their own injuries. HSE's advice is plain: "you should inform your employer" (HSE). Then check that your employer has reported it. If you think they haven't, you can raise a concern with HSE, but a concern is a separate route and is not a RIDDOR submission. Members of the public who were hurt or saw an incident follow the same logic and should not use the RIDDOR forms.
How to make a RIDDOR report online on HSE forms
- Go to HSE's reporting page and pick the form that matches the incident. Offshore and nuclear incidents have their own routes, linked from that page.
- Gather the details first. HSE's record-keeping guidance lists the date, time and place of the event, the people involved and a short account of the injury, disease or occurrence. Each form asks for its own fields, so treat this as a starting list.
- Submit the form and write down the reference number on the confirmation screen.
- Click "Download PDF" on that screen. HSE says "notifiers will no longer receive an email copy" (RIDDOR FAQs), so don't wait for one in your inbox.
The five standard RIDDOR report forms are:
- Report of an Injury, which also covers fatalities
- Report of a Dangerous Occurrence
- Report of an Occupational Disease
- Report of a Flammable Gas Incident
- Report of a Dangerous Gas Fitting
When to submit a RIDDOR report
The general deadlines are below. Schedule 1 of the 2013 Regulations has exceptions for some self-employed people at their own premises and for some mines, quarries and offshore work, so check HSE's guidance if you work in those areas.
| Event | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Death, specified injury to a worker, reportable injury to a non-worker, dangerous occurrence | Notify the enforcing authority without delay by the quickest practicable means. It must also receive a report within 10 days of the incident. |
| Worker unable to do normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days | As soon as practicable and within 15 days of the accident |
| Qualifying occupational disease | As soon as the responsible person receives the diagnosis |
The 10 days is a final limit, not a grace period before you notify (HSE: when do I report). The online form is a valid way to report, and you don't have to phone first.
The seven-day test is about incapacity for normal work duties, not absence (regulation 4(2)). Don't count the day of the accident, but do count weekends and rest days (HSE information sheet). Only qualifying work-related diseases need reporting, so not every diagnosis triggers a report.
Reporting to HSE by phone
Call 0345 300 9923 for fatal accidents or specified injuries to workers only (HSE). Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5 pm. Use the online forms for other standard report categories.
HSE also has an out-of-hours duty officer for serious incidents such as work-related deaths, multiple casualties or major disruption. It isn't a routine RIDDOR line. See the HSE contact page for when to use it.
Correcting a report
To amend an online report, submit a duplicate form with the original information plus your corrections. Start the incident description box with "Amendment to Incident Reference Number XXXXXXXXXX", using your original reference (HSE: amending reports). Don't file a fresh, unlinked report.
Phone amendments are possible for fatal and specified injury cases. Have the original notifier, the reference, the injured person's name and the incident date ready. Minor phone amendments get no confirmation. If an injured person later dies, follow the separate steps on HSE's amendment page.
Keeping records
Record every reportable event. Also record work-related injuries that cause more than three consecutive days' incapacity, not counting the accident day (HSE INDG453). An over-three-day injury goes in your records but isn't reportable in GB on that basis alone.
Your saved PDF copy of the report can be the record. Keep each record for at least three years from the date the entry was made, under regulation 12(2) of the 2013 Regulations.
If you want to check a reporting question against HSE's own pages, RegAffairs AI answered this one with cited sources.