Posted By K S

If you feel frustrated dont read or reply to the posts.
I always believe that there is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to Health and Safety.
Remember the focus of the forum - to help.
Good luck, hopefully you will not have to hide for long!!!!!

Posted By Jim Walker
The fact that its a re-occurring theme shows the reg is poorly written.

Problem is that it was introduced (my understanding) so that HSE could target resources to trouble spots. Unfortunately for most of us, our clients use it to measure our H&S performance.

David, simple solution for you ignore the threads, but don't try to deny others of a source of advice.

Posted By CW
As a relative newby to the world of Health & Safety, I pick up a lot of info from these sorts of threads. They have got me thinking in a different way to how I was thinking just a few months ago, so reading what the experienced members on here have to say is a great learning aid.

Keep em coming.

Posted By Graham Bullough
I disagree that the RIDDOR legislation is one of the simpler pieces of H & S legislation. If it were simple, it would be easier to interpret and thus there would be fewer queries about it on this forum. The official guidance about it is not especially helpful either. For example, the HSE guidance sheet for schools concentrates on employees despite the fact that the vast majority of school accidents involve pupils. Even when injured pupils get taken to hospital, the related accidents are not reportable under RIDDOR unless they have arisen because of some inadequacy or shortcoming in the condition of the premises or the school's arrangements. However, as it is difficult for schools to decide whether or not there have been qualifying inadequacies, I guess that most schools simply tend to report any accident which results in a pupil going to hospital. This is understandable, but results in the Incident Reporting Centre at Caerphilly being notified about accidents which are not reportable.
I suspect that the present regulations were devised mostly with industry in mind and that there was little regard for sectors like education.

However, most responses to threads about RIDDOR seem to be to advise "if in doubt, report it" and let HSE decide. Therefore, it is good to learn that RIDDOR is due to be revised. No doubt HSE will seek comments about RIDDOR and how it can be improved. (At the risk of deviating too much from this thread, one suggestion is to stop relying solely on employers to identify from sick notes, etc., when their employees have prescribed occupational diseases and then to notify them under RIDDOR. Would it not be better to enable doctors to report known or suspected occupational diseases direct to HSE? However, I'll be provocative by next querying how many GPs and other doctors would recognise or suspect that a patient had an occupational disease and then report it!)

Back to the main thrust of this thread: There will be many like "CW" who are developing their knowledge and thinking about H & S, and thus find threads about RIDDOR and other topics useful and a way of learning from more experienced people. Even those with plenty of experience can learn things from this forum. Therefore, there is no need to introduce bans on threads about RIDDOR or any other topic.

Perhaps David Bannister is not serious in suggesting that threads about RIDDOR be banned: He could have written what he did to provoke some debate, and thus provide useful information and thought for readers of this forum. After all, nobody is obliged to visit it or read any of its threads!

Posted By Charley Farley-Trelawney
Doug

Thank you for that update. I apologise if I have mis led anyone over the proposed changes to RIDDOR that were supposed go to full consultation in 2007.

CFT

Posted By Ian Blenkharn
And for my sixth penn'eth......

Why NOT report? If we are serious about safety, and accept that the particular value of RIDDOR is to gather information and generate statistics from which everyone can learn, then report it.

But then again, if you want to hush it up, maintain a clean record, or avoid an unwelcome visit, go ahead and ask as many people as possible "should I report this, that, or the other?" which in other words could often be translated as "can anyone suggest a way to wriggle out of......"

Posted By Martyn Hendrie
David,

I understand the frustration you are expressing but it should be remembered that not everyone who joins the forum is a member of IOSH or for that matter a safety practitioner.

RIDDOR despite what you indicate is not an easy set of regulations to interpret (especially some of the DO's)

If as safety professionals we was people to buy into being safer I suggest we have to expect a few questions that appear "simple"

Posted By Dan dan
perhaps the forum should develop an area i.e
"Riddor problem page" " Your RIDDOR problems answered"

"Riddor forum"

"to report or not report - RIDDOR"

Food for thought as we will be asked the same questions again - maybe next week

Posted By Dan dan
there you go boys and girls maybe our forum providers can put a link in

maybe the hse website version is too complicated with all the other busy information we have buzzing around our heads. I think our forunm members like to be given the answer direct rather than search for it (human nature)

Posted By John Murgatroyd
Listen.
If this site (riddor.gov.uk) gets any simpler they'll have to do it in diagrams.
I mean:

When do I need to act?
You need to report:
· deaths
· major injuries
· accidents resulting in over 3 day injury
· diseases
· dangerous occurrences
. gas incidents

How simple do you need to be.
I keep repeating myself
I keep repeating myself

Most just want to told "NO" to a simple question: DO I NEED TO REPORT