Legal Requirements

Employers must keep records of all accidents that occur within their workplaces. They can either use the approved accident book or create an in-house reporting form. Also certain incidents and near misses should also be reported, these will be detailed in the company procedures.

Managers, supervisors and employees must inform their employer, either verbally or in writing, of any injury caused by an accident, incident or near miss using the in-house reporting procedures, also.

Incidents and accidents, whether they cause damage to property or more serious injury and/or ill-health to people, should be properly and thoroughly investigated to allow the business to take the appropriate action to stop recurrence. In certain cases this investigation is a legal requirement.