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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published details of proposed changes that will simplify the mandatory reporting of workplace injuries for businesses.

Changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 will clarify and simplify the reporting requirements, while ensuring that the data collected gives an accurate and useful picture of workplace incidents.

To allow businesses time to familiarise themselves with the changes, HSE has published information to support dutyholders with the requirements which, although on track for implementation from October, remain subject to Parliamentary approval.

The information is available on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/october-2013-changes.htm¹

The main changes will be to simplify the reporting requirements in the following areas:

• The classification of 'major injuries' to workers replaced with a shorter list of 'specified injuries'
• The existing schedule detailing 47 types of industrial disease to be replaced with eight categories of reportable work-related illness
• Fewer types of 'dangerous occurrence' will require reporting

There will not be any significant changes to the reporting requirements for:

• Fatal accidents
• Accidents to non-workers (members of the public)
• Accidents resulting in a worker being unable to perform their normal range of duties for more than seven days

The changes will require fewer incidents to be reported overall and it is estimated that they will result in a net benefit to business of £5.9 million over a ten-year period.

They will not alter the current ways to report an incident at work and the criteria that determine whether an incident should be investigated will remain the same.

Notes to editors

1. 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; certain serious injuries; diagnosed cases of certain industrial diseases; and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (near-miss incidents). Further information can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm²
2. Reporting and recording is a legal requirement. The report informs the enforcing authorities (HSE, local authorities and the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR)) about deaths, injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences so they can identify where and how risks arise, and whether they need to be investigated.
3. The Löfstedt review is available on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reclaiming-health-and-safety-for-all-lofstedt-report ³
4. The changes have been proposed following a public consultation that took place between 2 August and 28 October 2012. Further information is available on the HSE website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd243.htm⁴
5. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk⁵

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