Posted By kaggs I suspect I already know the answer to this one but if an employee were to suffer a rather nasty insect bite working on a transient site would the accident book need filling in? Bear in mind that this could be a fairly regular occurrence even with protection, but there may not be any allergy or delayed reaction. i say yes but a colleague differs..... Sounds like a stupid question but some employees can suffer regular midge bites in some of the more northern sites on a regular basis. Thanks,

Posted By Doug Russell CFT's last question raises an interesting point. But by the way the answer specifically to whether it should be recorded in the accident book is 'Yes if the victim asks for it to be recorded.' Simply because it is up to the individual worker to ask for their 'accident' to be recorded. What is more interesting is should it be a RIDDOR reportable incident if the person is off their normal work for more than three days. Is the incident work-related? Some advice from the HSE suggests it is not if the person was equally likely to suffer the insect-bite outside of their work. But what if their job increases the risk of being bitten?

Posted By Konstanty Budkiewicz Kaggs, Disregarding whether the insect bite is reportable or not, control of bite incidence may be with the range of normal control measures. Here adherence to an enhanced dress code may be appropriate. In your query you do not identify the insect concerned; however, a quick Google reveals "Scottish Midges" - yes, the dreaded midge. Attached is a link to an appropriate web site: http://www.undiscovereds...atures/midges/index.html In the text is reference to a number of specific control measures that may be read across to your particular insect and exposure scenario. It is worth investigating the insects likes and dislikes further, because the oddest remedies can emerge. i.e. in Northern Canada "black fly" is a problem and one effective countermeasure was the self-application of baby oil to exposed skin. Hope that you have not bitten off more than you can chew. Kon

Posted By Glyn Atkinson What happens if the bite occurs when disturbing materials, and hence the insect(s), as part of other work on site? Pre work site risk assessment? I now suffer from long term IBS due to the after effects of insect bites when removing redundant electrical supply cables on a marsh site power station's out-station trench. (Demolition work) I was in hospital (isolation ward) for a month, lost two stones in weight in four weeks, off work for over four months - from insect bites and reactions to the poison. I suffered severe stomach pain and intermittent diarrhoea from this "event" for over two of those months, and have to control my diet carefully for life ! All from three marks of bites on my forearm !

Posted By Andrew M Tabs, Whilst I agree with some your sentiment. I would disagree with, the fact that it is an 'event' or incident as damage has clearly been done. Therefore it is an accident and should be put in the accident book/database I agree that colds colds, flu etc. then you have no idea when they were contracted. HR will have information regarding this if it is needed. But what about leptospirosis or anthrax? or any lab contracted pathogens? Blisters could be caused by contact with chemicals as well as poorly fitting ppe. All this information creates a better analytical tool and it is the safety professionals job to analyse it correctly. Andrew

Posted By Chris Packham Perhaps the question that needs addressing is:- Did the occurrence, i.e. the midge bite, occur directly as a result of work or was this something that occurs naturally throughout the local environment, both work and non-work? I would suggest that if the occurrence is equally likely to occur in the non-work as in the work environment then it is questionable whether it is actually occupational. A further question I would ask would be:- Given the occurrence what are the likely effects to the health of the affected person? If these are minor and reversible, then is it reasonable to expect the employer to take (potentially expensive) action to prevent it from happening? On the other hand, if the effect is potentially serious and irreversible, then the employer certainly should have taken action to minimise any such risk, even though this may not be totally preventable. And a final question:- Was the affected person normally living in this environment or did the employer bring him from a less hazardous environment for the purposes of work? If the latter, then might it not be considered an occupational event? Chris

Posted By Sally Depending on the circumstances, yes I might report a wasp sting. If I had instructed my staff to work near where I knew a wasp nest was located and the work was likely to disturb the wasps and we knew a member of staff was allergic then yes it is quite clearly related to the work activity. If they were working on an average building site and happened to get stung then no.

Posted By Sally Yes, it would be far better not to use them and to have the nest professionally moved first. I suppose my point is if the company had failed to do this then they would be liable and thus RIDDOR reportable.

Posted By Colin Reeves "Sounds like a stupid question but some employees can suffer regular midge bites in some of the more northern sites on a regular basis." Please substitute "will" for "can" in the above quote! Colin Shetland ..........