A workplace incident is any unplanned event that causes harm, or has the potential to cause harm, to a person, process, or piece of equipment. Incidents range from a worker slipping on a wet floor to a near miss where…
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) places legal duties on employers, the self-employed, and people in control of premises to report certain workplace incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, not every accident…
When someone is hurt at work, not every incident automatically triggers a legal reporting obligation. Whether an injury must be formally reported depends on its severity, who was injured, and the circumstances surrounding the incident. In the UK, workplace injury…
A comprehensive accident investigation requires questions that address immediate circumstances, underlying causes, and preventative measures. Your initial questions should establish the factual timeline: what happened, when it occurred, where the incident took place, and who was involved. Beyond these basics,…
The number of steps in an accident investigation process typically ranges from five to seven, depending on the framework adopted by your organisation and the complexity of the incident being examined. Most UK workplace investigations follow either a five-step, six-step,…
Understanding accident root causes represents a fundamental shift in how organisations approach workplace safety. Rather than simply addressing the immediate circumstances of an incident, root cause analysis digs deeper to identify the underlying systemic failures that allowed the accident to…
The 5 Whys technique stands as one of the most powerful yet straightforward tools available for workplace accident investigation. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda for Toyota’s manufacturing processes, this method has become a cornerstone of modern health and safety practice across…
Being reported to the Health and Safety Executive can feel daunting for any business owner or manager. The HSE takes workplace safety seriously, and understanding the process that follows a report helps you prepare an appropriate response whilst maintaining compliance…
The Health and Safety Executive possesses extensive legal authority to prosecute businesses and individuals who breach workplace safety regulations. Many employers underestimate the severity of HSE enforcement powers until they face formal legal proceedings. Understanding HSE prosecution procedures is essential…
HSE investigations typically take between three to six months from the initial report to completion, though complex cases involving serious injuries, fatalities, or multiple parties can extend well beyond a year. The duration largely depends on the severity of the…