RIDDOR Reporting Guide: The Over-7-Day Rule

HSEQ Nova Guidance | Incident reporting | 6 min read

Most accident books lead a quiet life. They live in a drawer, gather a few entries about cut fingers, and come out once a year when someone asks if you have one.

Then someone takes a proper knock, goes home, and doesn't come back on Monday. Suddenly everyone's asking the same questions. Do we tell HSE? By when? What counts as a day off?

RIDDOR answers those questions, and it isn't as complicated as it sounds. Here's what a small firm needs to know.

Key takeaways
Record and report are different jobs. Lots of things go in your records. Only some go to HSE.
Over 3 days off: record it. Over 7 days off: report it within 15 days of the accident.
Count from the day after the accident, and include weekends and rest days.
Specified injuries and deaths are reported without delay, not when you get round to it.
Keep RIDDOR records for at least three years.

What RIDDOR is, in one minute

RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It applies when a work-related accident causes certain injuries, when certain occupational diseases are diagnosed, and when certain dangerous occurrences happen.

The duty sits with the "responsible person", which for most small firms means the employer. Not every accident is reportable. It must be work-related and cause an injury RIDDOR covers.

What must be reported to HSE?

Deaths and specified injuries

A work-related death must be reported, as must "specified injuries" to workers. The main ones are:

fractures, except to fingers, thumbs and toes
amputations
injuries likely to cause permanent loss or reduction of sight
crush injuries to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
serious burns (over 10% of the body, or significant damage to eyes, lungs or other vital organs)
scalping that needs hospital treatment
loss of consciousness caused by a head injury or asphyxia
injuries from working in an enclosed space that lead to hypothermia or heat illness, or need resuscitation or more than 24 hours in hospital

A fracture counts once a doctor diagnoses or confirms it, including on a fit note. A "my mate reckons it's broken" doesn't.

These must be reported without delay. HSE says the report must arrive within 10 days. For deaths and specified injuries only, you can also phone HSE on 0345 300 9923.

The over-7-day injury

This is the one small firms most often miss. If a worker is off work, or can't do their normal duties, for more than 7 consecutive days because of a work accident, it's reportable.

Two counting rules matter:

Don't count the day of the accident.
Count weekends and rest days, even if you wouldn't normally work.

You have 15 days from the accident to report it.

Worked example: a labourer hurts his back on Monday the 3rd. Day one of the count is Tuesday the 4th. If he still can't do his normal job on Tuesday the 11th, that's more than 7 days, so it's reportable. The deadline is 15 days from the 3rd, so the 18th.

"Normal duties" is the key phrase. Putting someone on light duties in the office doesn't stop the clock if they can't do their usual job.

Members of the public

If a work activity injures someone who isn't a worker, such as a customer, visitor or passer-by, and they're taken straight from the scene to hospital for treatment, it's reportable. Treatment means things like stitches, a dressing, a plaster cast or surgery. An X-ray on its own doesn't count, and neither does a precautionary trip with no injury.

Diseases and dangerous occurrences

Certain diagnosed occupational diseases must be reported when the diagnosis reaches you. Relevant ones for trades include hand-arm vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome linked to vibrating tools, occupational dermatitis and occupational asthma. Some dangerous occurrences, near misses with serious potential, are also reportable even if nobody was hurt. Check HSE's list if in doubt.

What you only need to record

If a worker is off, or can't do their normal job, for more than 3 consecutive days, you must record it, but you don't report it to HSE. HSE says an entry in your accident book is enough.

Same counting rule: leave out the day of the accident.

The quick reference table

What happened	Record it?	Report to HSE?	Deadline
Death from a work accident	Yes	Yes	Without delay
Specified injury to a worker	Yes	Yes	Without delay (within 10 days)
Worker off over 7 days	Yes	Yes	Within 15 days of the accident
Worker off over 3 days (up to 7)	Yes	No	Record it
Member of public taken to hospital for treatment	Yes	Yes	Without delay
Diagnosed reportable disease	Yes	Yes	When you get the diagnosis
Minor injury, back at work	Accident book	No	–

What your records need to show

Under regulation 12 of RIDDOR, records must be kept for at least three years, at the workplace or your usual place of business.

The easiest route is to save the PDF HSE gives you when you submit an online report. It carries the reference number. If you don't keep that, your record needs:

the date and method of reporting
the date, time and place of the event
personal details of the people involved
a brief description of what happened

An accident book can be used for injury records. A separate method is needed for disease cases.

One thing people assume: a RIDDOR report is not passed to your insurer. If they need to know, tell them yourself.

What this means in practice

Name one person who decides whether something is reportable. Give them a deputy for holidays.
Put the 7-day check in the diary the moment someone goes off injured. Count from the next day.
Keep one log, not a book in the office, a WhatsApp thread and a photo on someone's phone.
Investigate, then act. Reporting tells HSE what happened. Only fixing the cause stops it happening again.

Quick self-check

Can everyone on site find the accident book (or the digital version) today?
Does someone know how to count to "more than 7 days" properly?
Are your RIDDOR records from the last three years all in one place?
Do you have the HSE reference for every report you've made?
Was the cause of your last incident actually fixed, and can you show it?

If any answer is "erm", that's this week's job.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken finger reportable?
Not as a specified injury, because fingers, thumbs and toes are excluded. It becomes reportable if the person is off or on restricted duties for more than 7 consecutive days.

Do I report self-employed people?
The over-7-day and specified-injury rules cover self-employed workers too. Who makes the report depends on the circumstances. HSE's "who should report" page sets it out.

Can I keep my accident book digitally?
The regulations allow records kept for other purposes to count, as long as they hold the required details. A digital system works if it captures the required particulars and you can produce them when asked.

What if we didn't report something in time?
Report it now with accurate details. A late report is better than no report.

The bottom line

Record more than you report. Report deaths, specified injuries and serious incidents straight away. Count over-7-day absences from the day after the accident, weekends included, and report within 15 days. Keep it all for three years in one place you can actually find.

HSEQ Nova keeps your incident records, investigations, actions and evidence in one place, so the paperwork is ready when a client or inspector asks. It doesn't replace your competent person, and the employer keeps the legal duty. If you'd like a hand setting up a reporting process that works, get in touch.

HSEQ Nova | 07498 312139 | callum@hseqnova.co.uk

The accident book and RIDDOR: what to record, what to report, and the over-7-day clock