Slough Borough Council

What happens if there is an accident at work?

If you are an employer, self employed or in control of premises you must report accidents. If you have had an accident at work that wasn’t reported by your employer, it is a breach of RIDDOR and we need to know about it.

The following must be reported:

• Death, major injury or an accident connected with work and your employee or a self-employed person working on your premises is killed or suffers a major injury (including as a result of physical violence) or
• a member of the public is killed or taken to hospital

you must notify the Incident Contact Centre. They will ask for brief details about your business, the injured person and the accident, and within 10 days you must send a completed accident report form.

If there is an accident at work (including an act of physical violence) and your employee or a self employed person working on your premises, cannot work for 3 or more days you must send a completed accident report form to the enforcing authority within 10 days. An over 3 day injury is one which is not major but results in the injured person being away from work or unable to do their normal work for more than 3 days (including non working days e.g. weekends)

Disease
If a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work related disease then you must send a disease report form to the enforcing authority.

Dangerous occurrence
This must be reported by telephone & within 10 days send a completed accident report. Reportable dangerous occurrences include certain collapses of plant or building or explosions including fire explosions caused by electrical short circuit

Companies with 10 or more employees are legally required to keep an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979. Accidents in the workplace records must be kept for a minimum of 3 years after the last recorded entry.

Further information can be found on RIDDOR's website at www.riddor.gov.uk.

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