Morning all, sorry to plague the forum once again with a RIDDOR Reportable question, however I have received challenge from a Contractor Manager on the reportability of an incident which occurred on our site, which I have stated that I believe is a RIDDOR.

The IP, who is a cleaner, was transiting from one building to another when they stepped off the kerb (to navigate around an obstacle) and rolled their foot, resulting in a broken metatarsal. Consequently they are unable to perform their normal working duties for ~ 6 weeks. The challenge has been made by an individual that this is not relevant as the injury was not sustained as part of a work activity. My response would be that transiting from one building to another to perform work activities, falls within the work activity itself.

Is this a fair challenge and does this meet the reporting criteria? I always believe that we should err on the side of caution and raise the report even if we are slightly unsure on it.

TIA

I have reported similar incidents in the past.  It is an event in connection with work because it’s to do with the workplace and its overall condition. As several people have said in the past, RIDDOR is not about accepting liability or anything like that. You are merely saying that the accident could be as a result of the condition of the workplace. It’s down to you to establish if it is the result of something being fundamentally wrong. I can’t imagine the HSE or anybody else turning up to follow up on such a report.

My question is why the contract manager is against making it a RIDDOR report? Is it because when they bid for contracts, RIDDORs are seen as black marks or is he demonstrating the thin skinned, slightly paranoid attitude that a lot of FM people seem to suffer from?