What Is RIDDOR? Meaning, Reportable Injuries and HSE Reporting Rules (2026)
Updated 26 October 2026 · 9 min read · Amber Training
Reviewed for accuracy by a qualified Amber Training first aid trainer.
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013: the law that makes employers report serious workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). You must report work-related deaths, specified serious injuries (such as most fractures, amputations and serious burns), injuries that keep a worker off normal duties for more than seven days, members of the public taken straight to hospital for treatment, certain occupational diseases and listed dangerous occurrences. Most deadlines are without delay, with the report received within 10 days; over-seven-day injuries have 15 days. Almost every report is made online.
The duty falls on the "responsible person": normally the employer, the self-employed person, or whoever controls the premises where the work happens. On a construction site that is usually the principal contractor.
RIDDOR reportable injuries: list and examples
If you only need the injury list, here it is. An injury from a work-related accident is reportable under RIDDOR if it is one of the following.
Specified injuries to workers (notify without delay; HSE must receive the report within 10 days):
- Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
- Amputations of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight in one or both eyes
- Crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
- Serious burns, including scalding, that cover more than 10 per cent of the body or cause significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
- Scalpings (separation of skin from the head) requiring hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
- Any other injury from working in an enclosed space that leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
Over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker: the worker is away from work, or cannot do their normal duties, for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident). Report within 15 days of the accident.
Non-workers taken to hospital: a member of the public or other non-worker injured in a work-related accident and taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment. Examinations and diagnostic tests on their own do not count as treatment.
Deaths: any work-related death of a worker or non-worker, except suicide.
Worked examples: report or not?
- A warehouse operative falls from a step and breaks an ankle. A fracture, and not a finger, thumb or toe: a specified injury. Report it without delay.
- A worker traps a hand in a drawer and breaks a finger, and is back on normal duties in four days. Finger fractures are excluded from the specified list and the absence is not over seven days: record it, do not report it. If they were off or on restricted duties for more than seven consecutive days, it would become reportable within 15 days.
- A box falls from a shelf and knocks a worker unconscious for a few seconds. Loss of consciousness caused by a head injury is a specified injury: report it, even if they feel fine afterwards.
- A kitchen worker scalds a hand, is treated at A&E and is back at work the next day. A burn this size is well under 10 per cent of the body and does not damage the eyes, respiratory system or vital organs, so it is not a specified injury: record it, do not report it.
- A visitor trips over a trailing cable in reception, is taken by ambulance to hospital and has a cut stitched. A non-worker taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment, from a work-related cause: report it.
- A visitor feels faint in reception and is taken to hospital for checks, where nothing is found. No work-related accident and no treatment: not reportable.
Our free accident report form walks through these same questions for a real incident, checks whether it looks reportable under RIDDOR, and gives you a record to print or save.
What you must report
1. Deaths
Any work-related death, of a worker or a non-worker, except suicides.
2. Specified injuries to workers
- Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
- Amputations of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Injuries likely to cause permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
- Crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
- Serious burns (covering more than 10 per cent of the body, or damaging the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs)
- Scalpings requiring hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
- Injuries from working in an enclosed space leading to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requiring resuscitation or admission to hospital for more than 24 hours
3. Over-seven-day injuries
A worker is away from work, or cannot do their normal duties, for more than seven consecutive days because of a work accident. The day of the accident does not count; weekends and rest days do.
4. Members of the public
Non-workers injured in a work-related accident and taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment, by any means, including a friend's car. A trip to hospital purely as a precaution, with no injury found, is not reportable.
5. Occupational diseases
When a doctor diagnoses certain conditions likely to have been caused or made worse by the person's current work, including carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, tendonitis of the hand or forearm, severe cramp of the hand or forearm, any occupational cancer, and diseases caused by exposure to a biological agent.
6. Dangerous occurrences
Specified near misses that could have caused serious harm, even if nobody was hurt: for example the failure of a load-bearing part of lifting equipment, certain electrical incidents causing fire or explosion, the collapse of a scaffold more than 5 metres high, and the accidental release of substances that could cause harm.
Deadlines at a glance
| What happened | When to act | Report or record? |
|---|---|---|
| Death or specified injury to a worker | Notify without delay; HSE must receive the report within 10 days | Report |
| Member of the public taken to hospital for treatment | Without delay; within 10 days | Report |
| Dangerous occurrence | Without delay; within 10 days | Report |
| Worker off more than 7 days | Within 15 days of the incident | Report |
| Worker off more than 3 days (up to 7) | Record it | Record only |
| Occupational disease diagnosed | As soon as you receive the diagnosis | Report |
How to report
Report online using the forms on HSE's RIDDOR pages. There is a telephone line, 0345 300 9923, for fatal accidents and specified injuries to workers only. Keep a copy of every report.
What is not reportable
HSE's own worked examples rule these out:
- Suicide and self-harm, because there is no accident.
- Stress and PTSD, because RIDDOR covers physical injuries from accidents, and PTSD is not on the list of reportable diseases.
- Illness, such as fainting, and precautionary hospital visits where no injury is found.
- Most road traffic accidents on public roads. Loading or unloading a vehicle on the road, and road maintenance work, are not exempt.
- Normal sports injuries, unless caused by defective equipment or poor organisation.
- Injuries to someone who refuses to go to hospital, or who later sees a GP. A GP practice is not a hospital.
RIDDOR in schools
Pupils are not at work, so they are treated as members of the public. An injury to a pupil is reportable only if it arose out of or in connection with a work activity, for example faulty equipment, unsafe premises or poor supervision, and the pupil was taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment. A pupil who breaks an arm tripping over a trailing cable and is taken to hospital is reportable. A pupil taken to hospital because of a medical condition is not. Injuries to staff follow the normal rules for workers. Our guide to first aid training for schools covers the rest of a school's duties.
Report, or record only? Eight quick scenarios
- An office worker trips and breaks a wrist. A fracture (not a finger, thumb or toe) is a specified injury: report it.
- A warehouse operative strains their back and is off for five days. Over three days but not over seven: record it; do not report.
- The same operative is still off on day nine. It has now passed seven consecutive days: report it within 15 days of the original incident.
- A customer slips in your shop and an ambulance takes them to A&E, where they are treated. A member of the public taken straight to hospital for treatment: report it.
- A customer is scalded by soup a waiter is serving, and is treated in hospital. The accident came from a work activity: report it.
- A customer knocks over their own soup reaching for a glass. Caused by the customer, not the work: no report.
- A barman is assaulted by a customer at closing time and is off for ten days. Non-consensual violence to someone at work, arising from their work: report it.
- A colleague faints at their desk and recovers after first aid. Illness, not a work accident: no report, although a note in your accident book is good practice.
What to keep
Keep a record of every reportable incident, plus over-three-day injuries, for at least three years. Employers with 10 or more staff must also keep an accident book (our guide to accident book rules explains who is covered). Both should be handled in line with UK GDPR. Our free accident report form records the details RIDDOR asks for and checks whether an incident needs reporting, and what a first aid policy should include shows where RIDDOR fits in your wider arrangements. To check what your managers know, try our first aid at work quiz.
Where first aid fits
RIDDOR tells HSE about serious incidents after the event. First aid is what happens in the minutes before help arrives, and it can change how serious the outcome is. Your trained first aiders are also usually the people who record what happened and hand over to the person responsible for reporting.
We provide in-house first aid training for workplace first aiders, anywhere in England, in Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work, for up to 12 staff per session, at one fixed, all-inclusive price. This article is general guidance, not legal advice: always check HSE's RIDDOR guidance for the full lists and definitions. Book training. No payment until your booking is confirmed. Confirmation by email within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
What does RIDDOR stand for?
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It is the law that requires employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises to report certain serious workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive.
What injuries are reportable under RIDDOR?
Work-related deaths; specified injuries to workers such as most fractures (not fingers, thumbs or toes), amputations, serious burns, crush injuries to the head or torso, loss of sight, scalpings needing hospital treatment and loss of consciousness from a head injury or asphyxia; injuries that keep a worker off normal duties for more than seven consecutive days; and injuries to members of the public who are taken straight from the scene to hospital for treatment.
What are some examples of RIDDOR reportable injuries?
A worker who breaks a wrist or ankle in a fall (a specified injury); a worker knocked unconscious by a falling object (a specified injury); a worker off normal duties for more than seven consecutive days after a back injury (an over-seven-day injury, reported within 15 days); and a visitor taken from the scene to hospital and treated after tripping on a trailing cable. For a worker, a broken finger or a minor burn treated at A&E is not reportable on its own unless they are off normal duties for more than seven consecutive days. A precautionary hospital check with no treatment is not reportable for anyone.
Is a broken finger reportable under RIDDOR?
Not as a specified injury: fractures to fingers, thumbs and toes are excluded from the specified injuries list. It becomes reportable if the worker is away from work or unable to do their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days because of it, not counting the day of the accident.
How long do you have to report a RIDDOR incident?
Deaths, specified injuries, members of the public taken to hospital for treatment and dangerous occurrences must be notified without delay, and HSE must receive the report within 10 days. Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within 15 days of the incident. Occupational diseases are reported as soon as you receive a diagnosis.
Who is responsible for reporting under RIDDOR?
The responsible person: normally the employer, a self-employed person for incidents to themselves, or whoever controls the premises where the work happens. On a construction site this is usually the principal contractor.
Is there a phone number for RIDDOR reports?
Yes, but only for fatal accidents and specified injuries to workers: 0345 300 9923. Everything else is reported online using the forms on HSE's website.
Are injuries to pupils reportable under RIDDOR?
Only in limited cases. Pupils are treated as members of the public, so an injury is reportable if it arose from a work activity (for example faulty equipment or poor supervision) and the pupil was taken directly from the scene to hospital for treatment. Normal sports injuries and precautionary hospital visits with no injury found are not reportable.
Do I have to report an injury that kept someone off work for 4 days?
No, but you must record it. Injuries that incapacitate a worker for more than three consecutive days must be recorded, for example in your accident book. They only become reportable once the absence or restricted duties exceed seven consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident.
Book Emergency First Aid at Work for your team
Emergency First Aid at Work: 1 day at your venue, £645 per session for up to 12 staff, including trainer, equipment, certificates and travel.
Ofqual-regulated certificates. No payment until your booking is confirmed. Confirmation by email within one working day. Private sessions for your team, not public courses.