Accident book and record keeping

The three separate duties

People conflate three obligations, and separating them makes the record keeping simple. First, the accident book duty for employers with ten or more employees, which supports statutory benefit claims. Second, the RIDDOR duty to keep records of every reportable injury, disease and dangerous occurrence for at least three years. Third, the general duty under the Management Regulations to monitor and review, which is why you record near misses even though no law names them.

Most organisations satisfy all three with one system, provided the entries capture enough detail and the retention rules of the longest duty are applied to everything.

The record comes first and the report follows only if the injury is RIDDOR reportable.

What an entry must contain

Whatever format you use, each record needs the same core facts.

• Full name, address and occupation of the injured person.
• Date and time of the accident.
• Place where it happened.
• Cause and nature of the injury.
• Name, address and occupation of the person making the entry if it is not the injured person.
• Whether the person was at work, and whether the event was reported under RIDDOR.
• Immediate action taken, including first aid given and whether they went to hospital.

Patterns in the book are the best evidence you have for your first aid needs assessment.

The three day record and the seven day report

If an accident leaves a worker unable to do their normal duties for more than three consecutive days, you must record it. If the incapacity passes seven consecutive days, it becomes reportable to the HSE within fifteen days. Days are counted from the day after the accident and include weekends and rest days.

This is where paper systems fail. Nobody revisits the accident book on day eight. Build a simple weekly check of open injuries into the process so the seven day threshold is caught before the fifteen day deadline runs out.

Data protection

An accident record contains health data, which is special category personal data under UK GDPR. The old style bound accident book with visible pages is not compliant, because a later reader can see earlier entries. Use the HSE approved book with detachable pages that are filed securely, or a digital system with access controls.

Your lawful bases are normally legal obligation for the record itself and compliance with employment law obligations for the health data. Tell staff in the workplace privacy notice that accident records are kept, who can see them and how long they are held. Limit access to those who need it: line management, the person handling the claim, the safety lead.

How long to keep records

Three years from the last entry is the legal floor for accident book and RIDDOR records. Several factors push it far higher.

• Personal injury claims can be brought up to three years from the date of knowledge, and much later for children, so many employers keep records for six years.
• Records involving a young person are commonly kept until their twenty fifth birthday.
• Health surveillance and exposure records under COSHH, asbestos, lead, noise and vibration rules must be kept for forty years.
• Anything connected to a live claim, investigation or prosecution is kept until that matter concludes and then for the normal period afterwards.

Making the records useful

A record that is only ever filed is a compliance cost. The value is in the pattern. Review accidents and near misses monthly by type, location and task. Three trips in the same corridor is a maintenance job, not three unlucky people.

Close the loop with the person who reported. A reporter who never hears the outcome stops reporting, and under reporting is the thing that hides the incident that would have warned you. Record the investigation, the actions and the date they were completed alongside the original entry, so the whole story sits in one place if it is ever produced in evidence.

Common questions

Do we need an accident book if we have fewer than ten employees?

The accident book duty starts at ten employees, but you must still record RIDDOR events and three day incapacity injuries, so almost everyone keeps one.

Can employees see their own accident record?

Yes. It is their personal data and they can make a subject access request. Provide their entry without disclosing other people's details.

Do near misses have to be recorded?

No law names near misses except where they amount to a dangerous occurrence, but recording them is the cheapest accident prevention available.

Related guides

• the injury is RIDDOR reportable
• first aid needs assessment