A change to the rules on reporting workplace injuries will save British companies thousands of hours completing official paperwork, says the Health and Safety Executive.

A change to the rules on reporting workplace injuries will save British companies thousands of hours completing official paperwork, says the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the independent watchdog for work-related health.

From April 6, employers will no longer have to report injuries which keep workers off normal duties for seven or fewer days.

The change to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 is expected to see a fall of around 30 per cent in the number of incidents that must be reported by law – an average of around 30,000 fewer reports a year.

Employers will also be given a longer period in which to report, increasing from ten to15 days from the time of the incident.

By increasing the reporting threshold from three to seven days, the change will also align with the ‘fit note’ system which ensures that someone who is off work because they suffered a reportable injury has a professional medical assessment.

Employers and others with responsibilities under RIDDOR must still keep a record of all over three day injuries, for example through an accident book.

HSE chair Judith Hackitt says, ‘The change to the RIDDOR regulations will cut paperwork, help employers manage sickness absence and ensure that the reporting system is focused on risks which have resulted in more serious injury.

‘This is just one of many changes we are making to the health and safety system to make it simpler, clearer and more easily understood - stripping unnecessary paperwork out of the system without compromising essential protections for workers.’

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