Posted By David Gault We report insect bites as incidents rather than accidents. The reason for reporting them is simply that if it becomes obvious that we have an infestation of some kind (e.g. fleas) we can do something about it and get rid of them. In one case we had recently one of our employees suffered an allergic reaction to the bite (some sort of fly)and that resulted in us discovering that some boxes we had been given by a supplier were hosting more such critters. The information allowed us to zap them before anyone else got bitten and begin investigating the source - no findings yet. In short, accurate reporting of such instances helps you keep track of things from an Occ Health perspective. If you have information you can work with it - if you don't you can't.

Posted By Mike DF In an office / warehouse environment I would not consider it reportable unless an adverse reaction was experienced. Then it would be limited to a first aid report. Different environments such as food preparation might need reporting but that is not my area of expertise

Posted By philip john Claire, I take it the person in question is taking a civil claim out against the company. If so please keep us informed of the outcome. If a nest was in the works area and the company was aware of this then a claim is possible but a wasp sting having a smoke I will be surprised if a judge awards compensation for this and if he does a wasps nest will be disturbed!!! No pun intended. Regards Phil

Posted By Dave Wilson I think that the major influence here is 'In the course of your work' are we really talking about being stung by a bee / wasp or flea bites as being the same as suffering zoonoses from handling / coming into contact with infected animals / carcases etc and developing infectious diseases. Not in a million years. This may be a useful 'info' gathering tool but RIDDOR reportable? Most definitely not! Put it in perspective people.

Posted By Peter F. Is this an accident or an incident. Is being stung as a result or inconnection with his work. Ok a gardener desturbs a wasp nest maybe. A person sitting at the desk, or working on a production line no. If I caught a cold and asked would that be putin the book? The thing is in connection with your work or an accident at work.

Posted By Dave Wilson Phil, I agree in your case, but as an EHO who used to run Pest Control teams this is your 'work', getting stung sitting beside a wasps nest outside having a fag, totally different. If you work in an industry where you habitually come across this type of incident then you may want to record that, but not in any other industry. Anaphalactic shock from bee sting in an office- unlucky! Anaphalactic shock from bee sting in a pest control company - Agree I can just see Jeff McGowans face now!

Posted By tdunbar Surely a bee or any other native creatures's sting or bite is not an accident. The little bugger meant to do it so it was intentional. It is therefore an assault. If someone walked into your workplace and stuck a pin in your arm who would you sue? Your employer or the offender? If a bee stuck its "pin" in your arm would you sue your employer? Reminds me of two guys out on a shooting trip in the jungle and one had to relieve himself. As he had finished and was zipping himself up a snake bit him on the willy. He rushed back to his mate and told him what happened. His mate made him lie down and relax and he would call a doctor. Having to scale a tree to get a signal he rang the doc and explained the situation and described the snake to him. The doctor told him it was a very dangerous one to get back straight away and suck the poison out. He asked the doctor what would happpen if he didn't. The doctor said that he will soon die. He climbs down the tree and his mate who was now very weak asked him what the doctor said. The doc said you are going to die, he replied.

Posted By DP From another perspective - we are a mass consumer society - where do the vast majority of these consumables come from? The Far East, shipped in via containers, these containers if not fumigated correctly beforhand bring with them a host of bugs - quite unpleasant ones sometimes. Many distribution centers in the uk will have a range of systems in place to deal with this - getting stung with one of these is in connection with your work if you are the chap unloading that container and you (as a company) have identified the possibility of an occurrence…….. An accurate account of these incidents / accidents (your call) would have to be recorded so you can deal with any issues with non compliance of the fumigation process. I have know of quite a few bites and stings but never one to lead to any loss time - however, they scare the life out of some of the operatives - they can be very big some of the blighters.

Posted By David Gault I was not referring to RIDDOR in my original answer, though I take on board what others have said about pest control companies etc. In the majority of cases such bites won't be in any way serious and there may not be a pattern to them (we all get bitten at times). Within the company I work for now there have only been a few reports but inthe past I worked for a company where there was a spate of reports. Initially it was a case of people just having a moan about the odd flea bites but when I asked for reports they rolled in and we were able to track the problem down. RIDDOR - no, useful yes yes yes...ooh and yes Claire :)

Posted By Bob Y And as if by magic, just reported an over 3 day that arose as the result of a wasp sting!

Posted By Bryan Goldsmith 16052 It is a question of whether the insect bite was as a result of a work activity or not. Or whether it was just a single incident or multiple/repeated one in which case an infestation may be present in which case the employer or landlord may well have a duty of care to employees, tenants and visitors. An accident form can be completed regardless of whether the incident was or was not work related. Future stats could change your view on whether a particular incident was work related. A pest control operative bitten or stung by his quarrie is obviously at work and may not have been wearing the correct PPE. Having said that both as a police officer and streetworks supervisor it became apparent that the best way to attract every midge and biting insect in the area during the summer was to wear a yellow reflective. What would you do with that on a risk assessment - prescribe marmite sandwiches before going out on the street - apparently an effective insect repellant! I think it all boils down to common sense, gut feelings and dealing with significant risks.