Pictured: Chris Green 

News that employers may only need to report staff injuries that lead to more than seven days off work to the HSE as of next year has been welcomed by law firm Weightmans LLP.

Under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) businesses must report any accidents that result in an absence period of over three days to the HSE or to their local authority.

However following a public consultation in favour of an extended reporting threshold, the HSE will recommend that this should only be the case for accidents that lead to an absence of seven or more days. Amendments to RIDDOR will be brought before Parliament next February and, if passed, the new arrangements will come into force in April 2012.

Chris Green, partner in the Regulatory team at Weightmans LLP welcomes the change:

"The plan to increase the RIDDOR reporting threshold to seven days or more is positive news for employers - reducing paperwork while focusing on the more serious accidents."

However, Chris warns that now is not the time for complacency and that workplace safety must remain a high priority to maintain a safe working environment and keep instances of injury to a minimum:

"Concerns have been raised that employers could fail to take injuries that result in three days' absence seriously if they are no longer required to report them. It remains vital that employers maintain a high level of diligence and that health and safety regulations are followed to the letter."

Jane Cox, a Birmingham-based partner in the Employment team at Weightmans LLP, says the change will align reporting requirements with 'fit note' absence rules:

"The change would align the incident reporting threshold with that for obtaining a 'fit note' from a GP for sickness absence. This should provide added reassurance to the HSE that an employee who has suffered a reportable injury has had a professional assessment; reducing the risk of spurious or exaggerated sickness and injury claims."