RIDDOR In Healthcare - 5 Main Points You Need to Know

RIDDOR stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences. They are a set of regulations that govern the reporting of injuries, diseases, near-misses, and any other dangerous occurrences at the workplace.

If you want to train as a nurse, the requirements of RIDDOR are some of the items that you will have to learn. When you find mandatory training for nurses, ensure that it offers RIDDOR training as part of the course.

It is crucial to report ‘reportable’ incidences because non-compliance can result in 2-year imprisonment or a fine of up to £20,000 for the person responsible.

What are the vital things you need to know about RIDDOR to ensure compliance? Here are 5 of them:

1.Categories of incidents that you should report

Below are the categories of incidents that you must report:

Deaths : Any death directly related to the workplace must be reported. That includes deaths that occur on the spot and those that occur later, specifically up to a year after a work-related incident.

Occupational diseases : Diseases developed due to occupational reasons such as exposure to certain gases, liquids, or environments must also be reported under RIDDOR.

These include skin diseases such as dermatitis and ulcers, lung diseases like asthma and asbestosis, poisoning, infections such as TB and hepatitis, and other conditions like hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Over-7-days injuries : These are injuries that cause a worker to be incapacitated or unable to work for 7 days excluding the day the incident occurred.

Major injuries : Major injuries include bone fractures other than those on the fingers, toes; amputation of arm, leg, fingers, or toes; and injuries that can lead to blindness or affect sight in one or both eyes, and

Burns that cover more than 10% of the body and damage vital organs are also major. Others include head or torso damage that results in unconsciousness or affects internal organs, scalping, and any damage caused by working in certain conditions such as hypothermia.

Dangerous occurrences : Dangerous occurrences are workplace incidents that are likely to cause accidents. These include electrical explosion, uncontrolled release of dangerous gases, the collapse of a building and other structures, among others.

2.What does not need to be reported?

Any incident out of work is not up for reporting. For example, if someone dies out of natural causes in the workplace, there is no need to report.

Another incident that does not need reporting is a case of a traffic road accident.

3.When to report

Reporting a dangerous work incident is important, but when you report it is also equally important. Under RIDDOR, accidents must be reported within a particular amount of time. To be safe and avoid being passed up by deadlines, it is best to report incidents soonest possible.

There are 3 timelines for RIDDOR reporting. These are:

Immediately or without delay : All accidents must be reported without delay except 7-day-injuries. These include are those that cause death, major injuries, dangerous occurrences, and incidents that require immediate medical treatment.

Occupational diseases must also be reported as soon as they are diagnosed.

Within 10 days : In most cases, reporting incidents immediately may not be possible considering the time it might take to perform an investigation as well as the paperwork involved.

For cases that require immediate reporting, RIDDOR gives up to 10 days for the report to pass approval before the person responsible sends it.

Within 15 days : There is only one case where you can pass the 10-day mark. This is when the injured person remains incapacitated for over 7 days. In such a case, it can be difficult to tell whether the incident is reportable or not.

If someone is out of work because of a work-related incident, you need to follow up and determine how the accident has affected their ability to carry out day to day tasks.

4.How to report

Before you report, you need to take several actions to affirm that the incident is reportable and to keep the victim safe.

These actions include checking that there is no further danger that you can expose yourself to and ensuring that the victim receives medical assistance where needed. You can then report the incident to the responsible person, who will document it in the company record.

Finally, you can report the incident to RIDDOR. There are online forms that you can complete, submit to RIDDOR, and download for future reference.

5.Who should report?

The persons who should report an incident are known as ‘responsible persons.’ These include owners and managers of workplaces, self-employed business people, and employers in general.

As an employee, you should report any incident to your manager or employer.

Final Words

If you are working in the healthcare sector, familiarize yourself with important regulations. RIDDOR is one of those legislations that you should learn as part of your mandatory training as it helps to keep you from penalties and also ensures safety at the workplace.