Workplace Safety Logbooks · Filed 15 Jul 2026

RIDDOR Explained: What UK Employers Must Report, and When (2026)

Deaths and specified injuries: without delay. Over-7-day injuries: within 15 days. What RIDDOR actually requires, who reports, and the records that prove it.

By Jamie Dawson · Editor ▮ Updated 17 Jul 2026 ▮ 3 min read

RIDDOR reporting requirements explained — UK workplace safety

Quick answer: Under RIDDOR 2013, the “responsible person” (usually the employer) must report to HSE: work-related deaths and specified injuries without delay (phone 0345 300 9923, then report within 10 days), dangerous occurrences (report within 10 days), over-7-day incapacitation injuries within 15 days, and certain occupational diseases on diagnosis. Everything else that hurts someone still gets recorded — in your accident book — and records are kept at least 3 years.

What counts as reportable

Deaths of workers or non-workers from a work-related accident.
Specified injuries to workers — the serious list: fractures (other than fingers, thumbs and toes), amputations, permanent loss or reduction of sight, crush injuries to the head or torso, serious burns, scalping requiring hospital treatment, loss of consciousness from head injury or asphyxia, and injuries from working in enclosed spaces.
Over-7-day injuries — a worker unable to do their normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days (see the counting rules — they trip people up).
Non-workers taken directly to hospital for treatment of an injury from your work activity.
Occupational diseases once a written diagnosis links them to work: carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, tendonitis of the hand/forearm, occupational cancers and diseases from biological agents.
Dangerous occurrences — the near-misses the law treats as full incidents: scaffold collapses, failure of lifting equipment, electrical incidents causing fire or explosion, and the rest of the 27 listed categories.

The deadlines, in one table

Incident	Notify	Full report due
Death / specified injury	Without delay (phone allowed: 0345 300 9923)	10 days
Dangerous occurrence	Without delay (online)	10 days
Over-7-day injury	—	15 days from the accident
Occupational disease	—	On receiving the written diagnosis

Enforcement: what goes wrong in practice

HSE and local authorities rarely prosecute for a missing form alone — they prosecute for the underlying failure that the missing record made worse. Common patterns in published notices and cases:

Late or missing over-7-day reports — the 15-day clock is strict. If HR only learns of an absence weeks later, the report is already late. Fix: line managers escalate injuries that keep someone off (or on restricted duties) past day seven; see how to count the over-7-day rule.
Treating “light duties” as if the injury never happened — if the worker cannot do their normal work, the days still count toward the over-7-day threshold.
No accident-book entry, then no RIDDOR trail — when inspectors ask “what did you know and when?”, a blank book is itself evidence. Keep a GDPR-aware accident book even if you also use software.
Reporting to the wrong place, or not at all for specified injuries — deaths and specified injuries need reporting without delay (and a follow-up report). The online system is the default; the fatal/specified phone line is 0345 300 9923.
Confusing first-aid treatment with “not serious” — specified injuries (e.g. certain fractures, amputations, serious burns) are reportable regardless of time off. First-aid records still matter for needs assessments — see first-aid needs assessment records.

Practical defence if something goes wrong later: a dated accident-book entry, a clear over-7-day calculation, a copy of the RIDDOR submission (or confirmation), and the investigation notes. Those four pieces usually decide whether an inspector sees an honest system or a cover-up.

This section summarises patterns from HSE enforcement themes and published guidance. It is not a report of any single case against a named employer.

How to report

Online, via the forms on HSE’s RIDDOR pages (F2508 family). The phone line is reserved for fatal and specified injuries only. Registered gas engineers have additional, separate duties for dangerous gas fittings.

The records that prove compliance

Keep a record of every reportable incident — date, method of reporting, and a copy of the report — for at least 3 years. Over-3-day injuries don’t need reporting but must be recorded. A GDPR-compliant accident book covers both duties in one place; if you employ 10 or more people, an accident book is a legal requirement in its own right.

FAQs

Who is the “responsible person”?
The employer of the injured worker; for non-workers or premises incidents, the person in control of the premises; the self-employed report for themselves.

Do I report accidents to employees of my contractors?
Their employer reports injuries to their workers — but if it arises from your premises or activity, you may hold the dangerous-occurrence or non-worker duty. When in doubt, agree who reports and record the decision.

Sources

HSERIDDOR — official guidance HSEWhen do I need to report?legislation.gov.ukRIDDOR 2013