The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to publish a consultation document on proposed changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) SI 1995/3163.
Lord Young’s health and safety report recommended that RIDDOR be amended, “by extending to seven days the period before an injury or accident needs to be reported.” In line with commitments made in the Government's formal response to the report, the HSE will this month open a three-month consultation.
Employers are currently required to report an incident to the enforcing authority (either the HSE or local council), if an employee is absent from work for more than three days following an incident or injury at work.
The proposed amendment increases this period to over seven consecutive days and would align the incident reporting threshold with that for obtaining a “fit note” from a GP for sickness absence. It would also ensure that someone who has suffered a reportable injury has had a professional medical assessment.
Judith Hackitt, HSE Chair said, “The Board discussed the proposals at length, and asked for some additional work to be done prior to the launch of the consultation in January. Whilst there will be some obvious advantages in reducing the reporting requirements on business, there will be other factors which need to be taken into account. We hope that interested parties will use the consultation exercise to provide the range of perspectives we need to consider in order for us to advise the Government appropriately."
The consultation paper will be published on the HSE’s website in the week beginning 17 January 2011. The deadline for responses will be 11 April 2011, after which the HSE will consider the responses. It expects to be in a position to submit recommendations to the Secretary of State by the end of May.
