News

Changes to Reporting Incidents

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has changed its contact arrangements to better direct those wishing to report an incident, notify workplace concerns or seek interpretation of guidance.

Following the decision to close the Information line in 2011, HSE no longer offers a telephone service for general information enquiries but has invested in making its website easier  to use and its guidance simpler.

Currently visitors to HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk/contact) can:

• report an injury at work (RIDDOR incident)
• notify HSE of a workplace concern
• make Gas Safety enquiries and notifications
• obtain techinical advice or interpretation of guidance

From 1st October 2013 there will be further changes that should simplify the reporting of incidents.  The main changes will be:

• The classification of 'major injuries' to workers replaced with a shorter list of 'specified injuries'
• The existing schedule detailing 47 types of industrial disease to be replaced with eight categories of reportable work-related illness
• Fewer types of 'dangerous occurence' will require reporting

• Fatal accidents
• Accidents to non-workers (members of the public)
• Accidents resulting in a worker being unable to perform their normal range of duties for more than seven days

The changes will require fewer incidents to be reported overall.  It is estimated that they will result in a net benefit to business of £5.9 million over a ten-year period.

These changes will not alter the current ways to report an incident at work and the criteria that determine whether an incident should be investigated will remain the same.