How To Write An Accident Report At Work As An Employer

As an employer, you might be looking for information on how to write an accident report at work if one of your employees has suffered an injury. Reporting an injury at work is sometimes a legal requirement. Within this guide, we explain what types of accidents at work need to have an incident report made and how to write an effective incident report.

Following this, we look at the time frame in which incident reports need to be made for workplace accidents. We also discuss whether you could amend an accident report after submitting it.

Additionally, as part of our services, if you have been injured as an employee due to a lack of workplace safety regulations being implemented, we could help you with making a workplace injury claim. Contact our advisory team to learn more about the services we offer:

Someone filling out an accident report.

What Types Of Accidents At Work Need To Be Reported?

Certain types of workplace accidents need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). The HSE is Britain’s workplace health and safety regulator. Not every accident requires a report, but if the accident is work-related and results in a reportable injury, one should be made.

Regulation 4 of RIDDOR lists ‘specified injuries’ that must be reported. These include:

  • Amputations of the finger, thumb, hand, arm, toe, foot or leg.
  • Fractures (except to fingers, thumbs and toes).
  • Any injury to the eyes that is likely to result in sight reduction or blindness.
  • Serious burns including scalds that cover more than 10% of the skin surface and cause significant eye damage, respiratory harm or impact the vital organs.
  • A crush injury to the head or torso that results in a head injury, brain damage or chest and abdomen/organ damage.
  • Any loss of consciousness from a head injury or asphyxiation.
  • Any type of scalping that requires hospital treatment.
  • Other injuries caused by working in an enclosed space that lead to a hypothermia or heat-induced illness sufficient to require hospital admission or resuscitation.

A construction worker lying on the ground with a ladder on top of them.

How To Write An Accident Report At Work

RIDDOR requires ‘responsible persons’ only to submit reports. This includes employers, the self-employed and those in charge of the work premises. As a responsible person, you are under a legal obligation to make the notification and have a lawful basis to process the personal data of the injured person. The report should record:

  • The name of the employee.
  • The date of the accident and injury.
  • The name of the company.
  • The name of the person making the report.
  • How the incident occurred.
  • What steps were taken, such as the employee being taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

The responsible person should complete the report online using the link on the RIDDOR website. You can also download a copy on the incident report for your own records. A record should also be made in the workplace accident book if one is on-site.

How Long Do You Have To Report An Accident At Work?

The incident reporting needs to take place within 15 days of the accident where a worker has been unable to do their normal work duties or has been away from work for 7 consecutive days due to the injuries sustained. These consecutive days also include ones where the worker would not have usually have been expected to work.

In cases where a worker has been able to attend work or perform their usual work duties for more than 3 consecutive days, a report only needs to be made in the workplace accident book.

Someone lying at the bottom of the stairs after falling.

Can You Amend The Accident Report After Submitting It?

In addition to learning how to write an accident report at work, you may want to know how you can amend one. An amendment may need to be made to the accident report after it has been made, for example, if an injury subsequently results in a fatality. To inform RIDDOR of developments like this, you can call the Incident Contact Centre (ICC) to amend the details through a duplicate report. Keep the original report on hand before making the call. Alternatively, you can submit a duplicate report online.

For other changes to a report that involves a fatal or major injury only, you can call the ICC on the same number. A duplicate report doesn’t need to be submitted, but additional information will be required from the original notification. The information needed for this is:

  • The original notifier’s name.
  • The reference number for the incident.
  • Name of the injured person.
  • The date of the incident.

Importantly, you will not receive a notification of these changes but a note will be affixed to the record on the RIDDOR database. Alternatively, you are free to submit a duplicate form online and retain a copy for your records. All original information must be included in the re-submission alongside the changes and the original reference number.

If an accident occurs in the workplace because you as an employer failed to implement the necessary safety measures and breached your duty of care, an employee has the right to make a personal injury claim for any injuries that have suffered.

If you have been injured as an employee, we could help you making a claim. Contact us today to discuss the contributing factors to your case by:

Someone asking a solicitor 'How to write an accident report at work?'.

More Resources About Workplace Accidents

In addition to this guide about how to write an accident report at work, you might find these other resources from our website useful:

Some external resources to help:

  • More details on when to report to RIDDOR.
  • Guidance on expenses and benefits after paying an employee compensation for injuries at work from Gov.UK.
  • Learn when to administer first aid and call for further medical assistance if an employee is injured at work from the NHS.

Thank you for reading our guide on how to write an accident report at work.