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Kennyt  
#1 Posted : 17 May 2018 16:16:02(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Kennyt

Hi All, 

Thankfully I have never had to query this but please advise. 

An employee collapsed at work, hit their head and is now in hospital with a fractured skull. It is unknown why the employee collapsed but it is not thought to be related to his job tasks as he was doing light assembly work at the time of its occurrance. 

The employee is now on day four absence and I am finding it a grey area as to whether I need to report it or not. 

Thanks all.

Hsquared14  
#2 Posted : 18 May 2018 07:23:39(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

Hi - this isn't a work injury.  It is related to the fact that the employee has an illness and collapsed, the head injury is incidental to that and not caused by work.  So my view is not to report.

O'Donnell54548  
#3 Posted : 18 May 2018 07:47:05(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
O'Donnell54548

IMHO as the cause of the collapse has not been identified I would report.

Hsquared14  
#4 Posted : 18 May 2018 08:31:48(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

You don't have to report it yet - the employee hasn't had more than 7 days off work at this point.  If the diagnosis of why he fell is delayed beyond that date then you could hold off reporting until you have that information.  However, if as you say there is nothing in relation to his work that would cause him to collapse then it won't be reportable.

HSSnail  
#5 Posted : 18 May 2018 09:11:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
HSSnail

The length of time off work is irrelevant here – Fractured Shull, Loss of consciousness caused by head injury – couple of ticks in the major Injury box- IF (and it’s a big if) the fall was work related. It’s not clear from your post why he collapsed. Also you ask for HSA is that just a typo did you mean HSE? – I have taken this as a RIDDOR question.

Edited by user 18 May 2018 09:15:33(UTC)  | Reason: had forgotten 24 hours in hospital is now enclosed space injury only

Tyler26838  
#6 Posted : 18 May 2018 09:20:47(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Tyler26838

We had a similar incident at work, person collapsed, fell down some stairs and required hospital treatment. We reported even not knowing the underlying cause.  Later when he was diagnosed, the report as far as HSE were concerned was non-work related and redacted.  

The first thing I would do is speak to the HSE and ask their view, my experience is they have always been helpful. 

chris42  
#7 Posted : 18 May 2018 09:23:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

I think the big “if” question here is if it is work related, sounds as if it may not be and so not reportable. However, if it is work related then yes, it is. In my view it is not enough to just be in work, but the work or work place / conditions has to play a part. If for instance they have been working 24 hrs non-stop or there was excessive heat in the area, possibly whatever they were doing just before the light assembly work had an effect, then I would consider it to be work related.

Additionally, I may be concerned for the future as if the person collapsed for no apparent reason what would stop it from happening again when they are doing something dangerous. Obviously, you have lots of work to do here, but an assessment of all the conditions I think play an important part.

Chris

A Kurdziel  
#8 Posted : 18 May 2018 09:47:45(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

HSA is of course the Irish Health and Safety enforcement body.  The equivalent of RIDDOR is Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016-guidance attached.

http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Safety_and_Health_Management/Accident_and_Dangerous_Occurrences_Reporting.pdf

kevkel  
#9 Posted : 18 May 2018 13:22:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
kevkel

Hi Tara, This is not reportable with regards 3+ day reportable accidents. This is regarded as a medical condition and unless it directly resulted from exposure to something it is not reportable. If you read the guidance closely, it clearly identifies accidents at work.I have had reason to clarify this previously with the HSA for a similar scenario. Regards, Kevin
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