This change is just one of the recommendations contained in Lord Young’s review of health and safety laws in originally published in October 2010. It aligns the incident reporting threshold with that for obtaining a ‘fit note’ from a GP for sickness absence.
Currently, under RIDDOR, employers must report an injury caused by a workplace accident if a worker cannot do his or her normal work for more than 3 consecutive days.
Changes will also be made to the records that employers are required to keep. Where an accident at work causes an employee to be incapacitated for 7 days, the employer will be required to keep a record of: the date and time of the accident; the full name and occupation of the injured worker and the nature of his or her injury; the place where the accident happened; and a brief description of the circumstances in which the accident happened.
See also:
- HSE guide which has been updated to reflect these changes: A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.
- Health and Safety section of Policies and Documents for various forms, policies and procedures, and specimen letters.
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