Yes, you can ask for one. The report is made by the responsible person, such as your employer, and the record includes personal details of those involved, so start with a subject access request to them: organisations usually have one month to respond. You can also ask the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which may withhold some or all of the information. In England and Wales, once HSE's operational interests have concluded, it typically does not object to a pre-action court order for the unredacted RIDDOR form and the factual parts of its investigation report.
RIDDOR, the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, is the law that requires employers, and other people in charge of work premises, to report certain work-related accidents and diseases and to keep records. The record includes the date, time and place of the event and a brief description, made within days, which is why it can matter in a claim for an injury at work.
This guide follows HSE and legislation.gov.uk as of 28 September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. See also work accident claims and evidence for a claim.
Who makes a RIDDOR report
HSE says reports should only be submitted by the responsible person with duties under RIDDOR, such as employers in relation to workers, some self-employed people and those in control of work premises. Its reporting system is not for an injured person, unless they are self-employed, or for members of the public. If you are a worker, or acting for one, you can instead tell HSE about a work-related accident or an ongoing risk. Depending on the workplace, the report goes to HSE or to the local council, so that either can respond to ensure compliance with health and safety law.
Under RIDDOR an accident is a type of incident which is separate, identifiable, unintended and causes physical injury, and this specifically includes acts of non-consensual violence to people at work. Gradual, cumulative exposures, such as repetitive lifting, are not accidents under RIDDOR. Deciding whether an accident is reportable does not depend on finding blame: an accident may still be reportable even if there was no breach of health and safety law and no one was clearly to blame.
Which injuries must be reported, and by when
Not all accidents need to be reported. In Great Britain the main categories and deadlines are:
| What happened | Reportable when | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| A death | It resulted from a work-related accident (not suicide), including a worker who dies of a reportable injury within one year | Without delay; report received within 10 days |
| A specified injury to a worker | Fractures other than to fingers, thumbs or toes, amputations, likely permanent sight loss, crush injuries to the head or torso, serious burns, scalping needing hospital treatment, loss of consciousness from head injury or asphyxia, and some enclosed space injuries | Without delay; report received within 10 days |
| A worker off or on restricted duties | For more than 7 consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident but counting weekends and rest days | Within 15 days of the accident |
| A member of the public or other non-worker hurt | Taken from the scene to hospital for treatment of the injury | Without delay; report received within 10 days |
| A diagnosed occupational disease | Listed diseases likely caused or made worse by the work | As soon as the diagnosis is received |
| A worker off for more than 3 days, but not more than 7 | Recorded, not reported; the accident book is enough | Kept on record |
An injury that only becomes apparent later must be reported as soon as it has kept the worker from normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days. For non-workers, examinations and tests such as X-rays do not count as treatment, and a precautionary trip to hospital with no apparent injury is not reportable. Only fatal accidents and specified injuries can be reported by phone.
RIDDOR report checker
Indicative only. It applies RIDDOR 2013 and HSE guidance for Great Britain and HSENI guidance for Northern Ireland as published on 28 September 2026, and does not cover dangerous occurrences, gas incidents or exemptions. It is not legal advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
How to get a copy of a RIDDOR report
1. Ask your employer. The responsible person must keep a record of every reportable incident, and of injuries that keep a worker off for more than three consecutive days, for at least three years from the date it was made. When a report is submitted online, HSE's form offers a button to download a PDF copy. A subject access request asks an organisation for copies of your personal information; anyone can make one without a solicitor or a lawyer, and organisations usually have one month to respond.
2. Ask HSE. HSE considers requests about specific incidents under the Freedom of Information Act first, which lets it establish whether it is the enforcing authority, whether it has investigated and what it holds. It may withhold some, or all, of the information under exemptions such as those for investigations and proceedings and for personal information. Requests for your own personal information are answered as a subject access request. Include a clear, specific description of what you want. A reply should normally come within 20 working days, and you can ask for an internal review within 2 months of HSE's response. Information about a relative who has died is considered under freedom of information or environmental information law.
3. Use a court order. HSE will ordinarily object to disclosure while an investigation or a criminal prosecution is live. Once its operational interests have concluded, it will typically not object to a pre-action disclosure order in England and Wales limited to the unredacted RIDDOR form, the factual elements of its investigation report, photographs including CCTV, witness statements and relevant expert reports. HSE suggests using its draft pre-action disclosure order, has 28 days to respond to a sealed order, then sends a schedule of its costs and issues the records within 7 days of payment. In Scotland, the routes are an order under the Administration of Justice (Scotland) Act 1972, usually before court proceedings are raised, or a specification of documents during a court action.
The accident book and your own record
The accident book is separate from RIDDOR. Under regulation 25 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, every employer by whom 10 or more persons are normally employed at the same time on or about the same premises, and every employer that owns or occupies a mine, a quarry or premises covered by the Factories Act 1961, must keep a readily accessible means, in a book or by electronic means, for an employee or someone acting for them to record an accident causing personal injury. Each record must be kept for at least 3 years from the date of entry, and the employer must take reasonable steps to investigate the circumstances of accidents reported to it.
Ask for a copy of your entry as well as the RIDDOR report, and keep your own dated note of what happened. HSE says information in a RIDDOR report is not passed on to an insurance company, and it tells employers to contact their insurer separately. If your employer has gone out of business, see claims against an insolvent employer.
What if your employer did not report it?
The duty to report belongs to the responsible person, not to you, and you can tell HSE about the accident yourself. A failure to report does not give you a claim on its own: under section 47(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, a breach of health and safety regulations is not actionable except to the extent that regulations provide. Section 47(4) keeps any right of action that exists apart from the Act, so an injury claim rests on other grounds, such as negligence, and on your other evidence: the accident book, witnesses, photographs and medical records.
A report is not an admission of fault either, because reportability does not depend on blame. The time limit for an injury claim in England and Wales is normally three years, so do not wait for HSE to finish before taking advice. See personal injury time limits and the pre-action protocol.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) or the local council. They cover work-related deaths, major injuries and over-three-day injuries, as well as diseases and dangerous occurrences. For a death or major injury to a worker, or a member of the public killed or taken to hospital, the employer must notify without delay and send form NI2508 within 10 days. Over-three-day injuries are also reported on form NI2508: the day of the accident is not counted, but weekends, rest days and holidays are. HSENI's examples of major injuries include dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine, and it says RIDDOR reports should be kept for a minimum of three years.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a copy of a RIDDOR report?
Ask your employer, or whoever made the report, with a subject access request; they usually have one month to respond. You can also ask HSE, which may withhold information during an investigation, and in England and Wales a pre-action court order can reach the unredacted RIDDOR form.
Who is responsible for making a RIDDOR report?
The responsible person, such as the employer for its workers, some self-employed people and whoever controls the work premises. An injured employee should not use the RIDDOR reporting system, but can tell HSE about the accident.
What is the time limit for a RIDDOR report?
Deaths, specified injuries and non-workers taken to hospital must be notified without delay, with the report received within 10 days. An over-seven-day injury must be reported within 15 days of the accident. A disease is reported as soon as the diagnosis is received.
What happens if my employer does not report a RIDDOR?
You can tell HSE yourself. The failure does not give you a compensation claim on its own, because breach of health and safety regulations is not actionable unless regulations say so, but you can still claim on other grounds such as negligence.
Does a RIDDOR report mean my employer admits fault?
No. HSE says deciding whether an accident is reportable does not depend on finding blame, and an accident can be reportable even where no law was broken. The report is still useful evidence of what happened and when.
Official sources for RIDDOR and disclosure
- HSE: RIDDOR: reportable incidents, deadlines, records and who should report
- HSE: information requests: freedom of information, subject access and court orders for disclosure
- Information Commissioner's Office: how to make a subject access request
- HSENI: accident reporting in Northern Ireland
Related guides: work accident claims, what to do after an accident, evidence for a claim, industrial disease claims and agency worker claims.
Official sources used for this guide: HSE: RIDDOR explained; HSE: types of reportable incidents; HSE: when to report; RIDDOR 2013, regulations 4 and 12; HSE: pre-action disclosure; HSE: requests relating to civil claims; Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, regulation 25; Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 47; ICO: subject access requests; HSENI: accident reporting. This guide is general information about the law in the UK, not legal advice; the law can change, so check your own position with a regulated solicitor.