ACCIDENT/NEAR MISS/DANGEROUS

OCCURRENCE/DISEASE REPORTING
PROCEDURE
AUTHORISATION
DATE
23rd August 2007

AUTHORISED BY
RICHARD WAINWRIGHT

NEXT REVIEW DATE

August 2008

CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

PURPOSE
SCOPE
DEFINITIONS
RESPONSIBILITIES
PROCEDURE
RECORDS
THE LAW

APPENDICES
1
2
3
4
5

FLOW CHART
RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPORTING TO THE HSE
REPORTABLE MAJOR INJURIES
REPORTABLE WORK-RELATED DISEASES
REPORTABLE DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE

1. GENERAL
It is the College policy that all personal injuries, diseases, dangerous occurrences,
work related ill-health (such as sickness, stress, etc), near-miss incidents, road traffic
accidents and all acts of violence or aggression sustained by an individual must be
recorded on the College Accident Report Form.
2. PURPOSE
To ensure the accurate reporting, recording, and subsequent investigation of all
accidents occurrences and diseases so as to enable the early identification of areas of
current and potential concern thus safeguarding the employees, visitors and property
of the College.
2. SCOPE
This procedure applies to ALL accidents and incidents involving either employees or
other persons on College premises or engaged in off-site College-organised activities.
It also applies to certain reportable diseases suffered by employees.
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3. DEFINITIONS
3.1. Accident
An unplanned, unwanted event resulting in personal injury or loss.
[NB. All accidents, no matter how trivial they may seem, need to be reported.
This can range from a small cut or bruise to the fracture or amputation of a limb.]
3.2 Near Miss
All other incidents not resulting in personal injury but with the potential to have
caused serious harm, eg. Slipping on a wet floor without injury.
3.3 Dangerous Occurrence
Any dangerous event eg. Collapse of scaffold, pressure vessel explosion, fire
etc.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES
4.1 It is the responsibility of the affected person to ensure that the Accident/Incident
Report Form is completed and sent to the Health & Safety Advisor. In the event
that the affected person is unable to complete the Report Form, he/she may
explain the circumstances of any incident to their Lecturer or Tutor or Line
Supervisor/ Manager as appropriate, and must ensure that he/she immediately
completes the form on their behalf.
4.2 Employees working away from College premises, have a responsibility to report
accidents and serious occurrences by the quickest practicable means. Such
reports are to be recorded in accordance with this procedure.
4.3 Heads of departments have overall responsibility for ensuring compliance with
this procedure. The Head of department is responsible for signing the Accident
Report Form, or for nominating a deputy to do so in his/her absence and for
returning it to the Head of Health & Safety.
4.4 Heads of departments have day to day responsibility for administering the
requirements of this procedure, completing Accident Report Forms where the
affected person is unable to do so, undertaking primary investigations and
implementing immediate practical solutions to avoid recurrence of similar
accidents/incidents.
4.5 The Health & Safety Advisor is responsible for instigating/undertaking further
investigation as deemed necessary and for the reporting or such
accidents/incidents as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseased and
Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).
5.

PROCEDURE
5.1

Accident details must always be entered immediately onto an Accident Report

Form, however trivial the incident may appear to be.

5.2

Nominated First Aiders may complete the 'personal' and 'accident details'
section of the Accident Report Form, if practicable, after giving treatment. The
Accident Form should then be passed back to the Person in Charge of the
department/section.

5.3

Where the accident/incident is considered to be of a serious nature or outside

of the knowledge of the person completing the form, in-charge, the Head of
Health & Safety is to be contacted immediately.

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6.

7.

5.4

The form should be completed in as much detail as possible, a copy should be

retained within the Department and the original forwarded to the Health &
Safety Advisor within 24 hours.

5.5

The Health & Safety Advisor will review the accident details, making reference
where necessary to RIDDOR and initiate any further investigations and
contact the relevant Head of Department in order to establish what steps will
be taken to prevent a recurrence.

5.6

Certain incidents will require immediate notification to the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) by telephone or fax, followed by completion and dispatch of
the Form 2508/2508A within 10 days. Other incidents will only require
completion and dispatch of the Forms 2508/2508A. A summary of the
notification requirements for each incident category is contained below and in
the Appendices of this procedure.

5.7

All incidents that require reporting in accordance with RIDDOR must be

reported by telephone to the Health and Safety Advisor who will notify the
HSE.

5.8

Records of all accidents will be maintained by the Health & Safety Advisor and
details/statistics distributed/displayed as required (Appendix 1 contains
information on what an employer must do in the case of an accident at work).

5.9

Details of diseases and conditions which are listed and which have been
notified in writing to the College by a doctor, as having been suffered by
employees, will be reported to the Health and Safety Executive by the Health &
Safety Advisor.

RECORDS
6.1

Accident Report Form

6.2

HSE Report of an Injury or Dangerous Occurrence Form (F2508)

6.3

HSE Report of a case of disease (F2508A)

6.4

HSE Report of flammable gas incidents and dangerous gas fittings (F2508G)

THE LAW - RIDDOR

Incidents Requiring Notification to the HSE:
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995
(RIDDOR), impose certain duties on employers, self-employed and occupiers of
premises to report details of relevant incidents to the appropriate Enforcing Authority
and to maintain adequate records.
These Regulations replace RIDDOR 1985, with the key changes being the
introduction of the need to report acts of violence and certain road traffic accidents,
together with revision of the list of reportable major injuries, diseases and dangerous
occurrences.
The main responsibility for reporting deaths, injuries, diseases and dangerous
occurrences to the Enforcing Authority falls upon the employer or the person in
control of the premises at the relevant time, and the Regulations define this
"Responsible Person" for the various types of premises involved eg Education
Premises etc.

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These Regulations require the "Responsible Person" to formally notify the relevant
enforcing Authority of certain incidents by phone/fax and/or written report on Form
2508/2508A.
The types of incident, which must be reported to the Health & Safety Executive, are
divided into 4 sections:
7.1 Death or Major Injury
If there is an accident connected with work and:
an 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
A full list of major injuries that must be reported are contained in Appendix 3.
7.2 Over-Three-Day Injury
If there is an accident at work (including an act of physical violence) and an
employee, or a self-employed person working on your premises, suffers an
over-three day injury, a completed accident report form must be sent to the
Health & Safety Executive within ten days.
Note - an over-three day injury is one which is not major but results in the
person being away from work or unable to do their normal work for more than
three days (including non-work days)
7.3 Disease
If the company receives notification from a doctor that one of its employees
suffers from a reportable work-related disease, the Health and Safety
Executive must be notified with the appropriate form.
A list of reportable diseases is contained in Appendix 4.
7.4 Dangerous Occurrence
If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury, but which
clearly could have done, then it may be a dangerous occurrence which must
be reported immediately (eg. by telephone by the Head of Health & Safety).
This must be followed up within 10 days with a completed accident form.
A list of dangerous occurrences is contained in Appendix 5.

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Appendix 1
What an Employer Must Do In The Case Of an Accident at Work

Accident arising out of or in connection with the work of the

company, which is covered by the Regulations and involves:

Accident

Who was Injured?

Kind
of Injury?

One of your employees, a trainee

at work or a self-employed
person working in your premises
resulting in:

Fatal or
specified major
injury or
condition

Other injury
causing
incapacity for
more than 3
days

Other Injury

No Action
Required by the
Regulations

Action Required

Any other person who is not an

employee or trainee at work but who
was either in premises under your
control at the time or was otherwise
involved in an accident, resulting in:

Fatal or
specified major
injury or
condition

Other injury

No Action
Required by the
Regulations

Notify the Enforcing Authority immediately and follow up with a Report

on an Approved Form to the Enforcing Authority within
10 days of the Accident

Send a Written Report on an Approved Form to the Enforcing Authority within

10 Days of the Accident

Make and Keep a Record of the Details of the Accident for Three Years

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APPENDIX 2

RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPORTING TO THE HSE

EXTENT OF INJURY

STATUS OF INJURED PERSON

RESPONSIBLE PERSON

1. Employee at work

That person's employer

2. Person under training

Training provider

3. Self employed person at work in

premises under control of someone
Fatality, Major Injury,
Over 3 Day Injury or case else
of Disease.
4. Self employed person at work in
premises under his control

Controller of premises
The self employed person or
someone acting on his behalf

5. Person NOT at work affected by a work

Person in control of premises
activity (eg.: General Public)
Dangerous Occurrence

6. Not applicable

A Dangerous Occurrence
involving a dangerous
7. Not applicable
substance conveyed by
road

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Person in control of premises

The operator of the vehicle

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APPENDIX 3
RIDDOR 95
REPORTABLE MAJOR INJURIES
The enforcing authority (HSE) should be informed immediately if any of the
following accidents occur. This also has to be followed up with a completed
accident report form within ten days of the accident.
The following are examples of major injuries that must be reported:
Any Fracture other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes
Any Amputation
Dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
Loss of sight (whether temporary or permanent)
Chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye
Injury resulting from and electric shock or electrical burn leading to
unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more
than 24 hours
Any other injury leading to hypothermia, heat induced illness or
unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital
for more than 24 hours
Loss of consciousness caused by lack of oxygen (asphyxia) or exposure to
harmful substance or biological agent
Either of the following conditions which result from the absorption of any
substance by inhalation or through the skin:
i) Acute illness requiring medical treatment
ii) Loss of consciousness
Acute illness which requires medical treatment where there is reason to believe
that this resulted from exposure to a biological agent, its toxins or infected
material
Where an employee, as a result of an accident at work, has suffered an injury
which is the cause of his/her death within one year of the date of the accident,
the employer shall inform the notifying authority (HSE) in writing, of the death

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as soon as it comes to his/her notice whether or not the accident has been
reported.

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APPENDIX 4
RIDDOR 95
REPORTABLE WORK-RELATED DISEASES

i)

Certain poisonings.

ii)

Some skin diseases including - occupational dermatitis, skin cancer, chrome

ulcer, oil folliculitis/acne.

iii)

Lung diseases including - occupational

pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, mesothelioma.

iv)

Infections such as leptospirosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax,

legionellosis, and tetanus.

v)

Other conditions such as occupational cancer, certain muscullo-skeletal

disorders decompression illness and hand/arm vibration syndrome.

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asthma,

farmers

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lung,

APPENDIX 4
RIDDOR 95
REPORTABLE DANGEROUS OCCURRENCES
The main reportable occurrences are:
Collapse, overturning or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting
equipment, excavator, pile driving frame or rig (over 7 metres operating height)
Explosion, collapse or bursting of any closed vessel or associated pipework
Failure of any freight container in any of its load bearing parts
Plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines
Electric short circuit or overload causing fire or explosion
Any unintentional explosion, fire, misfire, failure of demolition to cause the
intended collapse, projections of material beyond a site boundary, injury
caused by explosion
Accidental release of biological agent likely to cause severe human illness
Failure of industrial radiography or irradiation equipment to de-energise or return
to its safe position after the intended exposure time
Malfunction of breathing apparatus while in use while or during testing
immediately before use
Failure or endangering of diving equipment, the trapping of a diver, an explosion
near a diver or an uncontrolled ascent
Collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over five metres high, or erected near
water where there could be a risk of drowning after a fall
Unintended collision of a train with any vehicle
Dangerous occurrence at a well (other than a water well)
Dangerous occurrence at a pipeline
Failure of any load-bearing fairground equipment, or derailment or unintended
collision of cars or trains
A road tanker carrying a dangerous substance overturns, suffers serious
damage, catches fire or the substance is released
A dangerous substance being conveyed by road is involved in a fire or released.
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