Reporting hazards and incidents is crucial for maintaining a safe workplace by documenting potential and actual harm to prevent future occurrences. To do so, employees should report potential dangers through an agreed system, detailing the hazard, its location, and time. Actual incidents should be formally recorded on an incident reporting form with factual details, including what happened, who was involved, injuries, and witness information. Employers are often legally required to report certain serious incidents, such as fatal or major injuries, to a regulatory authority like the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under regulations like RIDDOR.
Hazard Reporting
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What to report:Anything that has the potential to cause harm, injury, or illness to people, equipment, or the workplace.
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How to report:Use your organisation’s agreed-upon reporting system.
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What information to include:
- A clear description of the potential hazard.
- Its specific location.
- The time it was noticed.
- Any relevant details, such as a leaking pipe causing a water spill.
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Why it’s important:It empowers senior team members or safety professionals to take steps to minimize the risk before an incident occurs.
Incident Reporting
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What to report:Accidents, near-misses, injuries, and other safety-related events.
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How to report:Complete your organisation’s incident reporting form as soon as possible to safeguard against memory fade.
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What information to include:
- Date and time of the incident.
- Precise location.
- A detailed, factual description of what happened.
- Information on those involved and any injuries sustained.
- Names and contact details of witnesses.
- Environmental factors (e.g., weather).
- Actions taken at the scene.
- Date and time of the incident.
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Why it’s important:
- It helps identify unseen hazards and prevent future accidents.
- It provides documentation for insurance claims and inspections.
- It enables learning from mistakes and tracking trends for continuous improvement in risk management.
- It helps identify unseen hazards and prevent future accidents.
Legal Requirements
- In the UK, employers have a legal duty to report certain incidents to the relevant authority under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
- You can report fatal and major injuries by calling the HSE Incident Contact Centre or by submitting an online report.
- Reports for accidents resulting in over-seven-day incapacitation must be submitted within 15 days.
- Cases of occupational disease should be reported as soon as a diagnosis is received.