Reporting death, or a specified or major injury
Contents
Death, or a specified or major injury
If there is an accident connected with work, you must tell the enforcing authority immediately. This applies if your employee, a self-employed person working on your premises or a member of the public is killed or suffers a 'specified' or 'major' injury (including because of physical violence).
Specified injuries (England, Wales and Scotland)
Reportable specified injuries in England, Wales and Scotland are:
- Permanent loss or reduction of sight
- Crush injuries leading to internal organ damage
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Fractures (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes)
- Scalping (separation of skin from the head) that needs hospital treatment
- Unconsciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia (when the body is deprived of oxygen)
- Serious burns (burns that cover more than 10% of the body, or that damage the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs)
- Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space, which leads to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours
Major injuries (Northern Ireland)
Reportable major injuries in Northern Ireland are:
- Amputation
- Loss of sight (temporary or permanent)
- Fracture (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes)
- Dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
- Chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye
- Unconsciousness caused by asphyxia or exposure to harmful substance or biological agent
- Injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn (including any electrical burn caused by arcing or arcing products) leading to unconsciousness, or admission to hospital for more than 24 hours
- Any other injury leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness, or requiring resuscitation or admission to hospital for more than 24 hours
- Acute illness requiring medical treatment, or loss of consciousness arising from inhaling, ingesting or absorbing through the skin any substance
- Acute illness requiring medical treatment where it is reasonably believed that the illness resulted from exposure to a biological agent or its toxins or infected material
What is the law guide
The Desktop Lawyer law guide aims to present the law to you in a comprehensive yet jargon-free and easy-to-read format. Our law guide is constantly kept up to date with changes in business and family law by our team of in house solicitors, and includes information across all the legal jurisdictions in the UK.
Our law guide is free to use. Where we provide documents related to this area of law, or where they may help you with any legal issue in this area, they will be listed to the right of this message.