Reporting Accidents and Diseases

 

All businesses have a legal responsibility to report certain categories of accident, occupational disease and dangerous occurrences to the health and safety enforcing authorities. The approved methods of reporting and a summary of the types of accident that require reporting are summarised in a Health and Safety Executive leaflet “Incident at Work”.

 

 

We advise that all businesses should record in writing all accidents to employees and non-employees occurring on your work premises.  Under data protection legislation all completed accident records should be secured so that other persons other than those people managing the recording system cannot view them. A suitable booklet or accident book for recording accident details is available that satisfies the requirements of both health and safety legislation and Department of Work and Pensions

 

 

We advise all businesses to thoroughly investigate all accidents to identify action that can be taken to prevent repetition. As well as identifying the immediate cause it is also important to investigate relevant company policies, systems of work and the training and supervision of employees. The Service will investigate all reported fatalities and serious accidents and respond to the incident as soon as practicable.

 

 

As well as the human suffering caused from an accident at work there is in many cases a significant cost to the business from accidents and ill health at work. In particular there are many costs which are not insured e.g. temporary staff costs to cover absence from work, sick pay, investigation time, production delays, loss of contracts, legal costs, damage to products and plant and  loss of business reputation.

 

Information on the costs of accident and ill-health can be found in the Health and Safety Executive leaflet entitled “Reduce risks-cut costs. The real costs of accidents and ill-health at work”