Change in injury reporting rules benefits businesses

Posted on April 18^th 2012

Businesses with up-to-date liability insurance are usually keen to keep their employees as safe as possible.

This makes for better premiums and a safe, happy working environment. However, the process of reporting injuries in the workplace can be lengthy and, ultimately, costly - unfairly so for law abiding companies.

So a change in the rules surrounding the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), which govern when injuries have to be recorded, will be a welcome relief for many businesses. As of last week, employers don't have to report injuries that keep workers from resuming their duties for 7 days or less, an increase from the old limit of just 3 days.

This means that small, often insignificant, 'injuries' won't have to be documented, potentially saving thousands of hours of unnecessary paperwork. Employers will also be given extra time to file reports, rising from 10 days to 15 days from the time of the initial incident.

For liability insurance customers concerned about health and safety records, the move is positive. It's expected that reports of workplace incidents will fall around 30% as a result of the new rules.

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt explained the move: "This is just one of many changes we are making to the health and safety system to make it simpler, clearer and more easily understood - stripping unnecessary paperwork out of the system."

Good news indeed for liability insurance clients keen to keep their workplaces safe but efficient!

Related links

Government Health and Safety Executive press release on the new RIDDOR measures

Other liability insurance news stories

• Calls for regular safety checks as NHS Trust admits liability
• HSE delays its Fee for Intervention
• UK companies at risk from social media liability
• 'No win, no fee' culture makes liability insurance a must