Workplace Safety Logbooks · Filed 15 Jul 2026

RIDDOR's Over-7-Day Injury Rule: How to Count It (and the 15-Day Deadline)

Day of accident: excluded. Weekends: included. Light duties: it depends. The over-7-day rule with worked examples — and the 15-day reporting deadline.

By Jamie Dawson · Editor ▮ Updated 15 Jul 2026 ▮ 2 min read

A calendar — counting RIDDOR's over-7-day injury rule

Quick answer: An injury becomes RIDDOR-reportable when a worker can’t do their normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days. Count from the day after the accident, and include weekends and rest days. Hit day 8 of incapacitation and you must report it — within 15 days of the accident itself. Injuries causing over 3 days’ but not over 7 days’ incapacitation aren’t reported — but they must be recorded in your accident book.

The counting rules

Day zero: the day of the accident is excluded.
Every calendar day counts after that — weekends, rest days and days the person wasn’t rostered to work all count towards the 7.
“Incapacitated” means unable to do their normal work — someone who turns up but can only do light duties is still incapacitated for RIDDOR purposes.

Worked examples

Example 1: accident Monday; off Tuesday to the following Monday (7 days); returns to normal duties Tuesday. Exactly 7 days — not reportable, but recordable.

Example 2: accident Friday; off all the following week, back on normal duties the Monday after (10 days including two weekends). Over 7 days — reportable, within 15 days of the Friday accident.

Example 3: accident Monday; returns Wednesday on light duties only for two weeks. Incapacitated for normal work beyond 7 days — reportable, even though they were “at work”.

The 3-day/7-day split (where the confusion comes from)

Before April 2012, over-3-day injuries were reportable; the threshold moved to 7 days, but the recording duty at 3 days stayed. So: over 3 days = record; over 7 days = record and report.

FAQs

What if the person is off with something unrelated too?
Count only incapacitation caused by the work injury. If in doubt, take the cautious view and report — over-reporting carries no penalty; failing to report is an offence.

Where do I report?
The online over-7-day injury form on HSE’s RIDDOR pages — see our full RIDDOR guide.

Sources

HSEWhen do I need to report?HSEWhat records must I keep?