Do we really need to ask people their gender on accident forms? 

Is this information relevant? - What do we think?

You may wish to check accident rates and types by gender.

Although, I don't

Many years ago the DSS decided it was a requirement on their BI 510 form and as all report templates since have followed that general layout...

Given some of the names parents choose to burden their off-spring with it can be difficult to identify gender from the name on an historic report (Johhny Cash "a boy named Sue", Brooklyn, Paris, Free, Memphis, Rowan...) and that is before you get in to the vast array of unfamiliar names and orientation (given - family, family - given) from a globaly originating workforce.

I think you should differentiate in you reporting system
between male and female, given that in most (I stand to be corrected) places
the impact of an accident might well be different for a female employee and a
male employee. If you are convinced that there is no difference between the
sexes and it does not matter whether the injured party is male or female and
that nobody in however years’ time will ask for a comparison of accident stats between the sexes then don’t include it.

Ignore what the RIDDOR form says: it’s just what the HSE might be interested in not what is relevant to your business.

Originally Posted by: kmason83

My previous organisation decided to throw religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation on the form too. I protested heavily as did my first aiders but because my weak was suck up manager did not want to go to the directors and say this data capture is not appropriate I was forced to leave it on there. Many forms came back with lots of information missing even some vital stuff for accident investigation and/or reporting. Bloody nightmare!

This sort of information is close to breaching the requirements
of the Data Protection Act, which essentially requires that any personal information
collected is done so for a relevant reason. I cannot see how religion and sexual
orientation is relevant while investigating an accident. What happens to the
records thus created; who reads them? I can image a scenario where an accident
is being discussed in H&S committee and private details about an individual emerge.

Years ago this used to be a no brainer, with only 2 to chose from, nowadays people can now select a "custom" gender option.

Recently ABC news came up with 58 Gender Options 

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/heres-a-list-of-58-gender-options-for-facebook-users/

Ha Ha

I don't know why that all is in a quote bubble I must have pressed something wrong but the bottom paragraph is not quoted

Originally Posted by: kmason83

I don't know why that all is in a quote bubble I must have pressed something wrong but the bottom paragraph is not quoted

You need to put your response after the end quote ( [  /  quote  ] )

Aside from statutory F2508 requirements, I have yet to see any reason why the parties needs to be included, aside from pregnant / maternity issues.  

Originally Posted by: johnmurray

And exactly what are you going to do if "Trans" appears?

As in transformers??

Originally Posted by: Invictus

Originally Posted by: johnmurray

And what would be done if they wrote: "Transexual" or "Transgender" ?

This is the 21st century. Gender is no longer Male/Female.

https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/user-centred-design/resources/patterns/gender-and-sex.html

And exactly what are you going to do if "Trans" appears?

That must be me I'm a Male who feels like a Female.

This is about gender identity, which looks at what the current identity is as compared to that that matches they were   assigned at birth. Trans- is different, while cis- is the same.

Neither as a place on an accident form.