The alert was issued following reports received by Unite that some employers believed that a change in the law had already taken place in respect of reporting “over 3 day” injuries.
Unite points out that Government moves to change from the existing legal requirement to report injuries requiring over three days off work to only those requiring over seven days off is still only a proposal.
Its alert says: “The changes have not yet become law, and if these proposals are adopted by the government the law is not likely to change before at least 1 April 2012. Even if the law on reporting changes from ‘over 3 days’ to ‘over 7 day’ incapacitation, employers must still record ‘over 3 days’ injuries.”
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Unite concludes: “Safety reps need to be alert to this and ensure that ALL injuries and incidents are reported to their employer, and as a minimum their employer keeps records in accordance with the continuing requirements of RIDDOR.”
In August, the HSE board agreed to recommend to the Government that the absence period that triggers an accident report to the HSE or local authority under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) should increase from three days to seven days.
