RIDDOR: A gas engineer’s guide

Reporting certain dangerous gas incidents is a legal requirement. What must you report under RIDDOR – and what shouldn’t you report?

What is RIDDOR?
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) is the law that requires employers, the self-employed, and other people in control of work premises, to report and keep records of:
•  Work-related accidents which cause death
•  Work-related accidents which cause certain serious injuries (reportable injuries)
•  Dangerous occurrences with the potential to cause harm.

There are special requirements for gas incidents.

Why report?
Reporting certain incidents is a legal requirement. The report informs the enforcing authorities about deaths, injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences, so they can identify where and how risks arise, and whether they need to be investigated.

This allows the enforcing authorities to target their work and provide advice about how to avoid work-related deaths, injuries, ill-health and accidental loss.

What must gas engineers report?
You or your employer must provide details of any gas fittings, including appliances and flues or ventilation used with the appliances, that you consider to be dangerous, to such an extent that people could die, be rendered unconscious or need to be taken to hospital, because the design, construction, installation, modification or incorrect servicing could result in:

• An accidental leakage of gas
• Incomplete combustion of gas, or
• Inadequate removal of products of the combustion of gas.

What records do I need to keep?
You must keep a record of any reportable injury, over-three day injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. You can print and/or save a copy of the online form. A copy of the form will be emailed to the email address you provide.

If you do not keep a copy of the online form, your records must include the date and method of reporting; the date, time and place of the event; personal details of those involved; and a brief description of occurrence.

What is reportable?

Dangerous gas fittings are as defined in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and include pipework, regulators, meters and appliances. Where a gas fitting, or a flue or ventilation used in connection with it could, in your opinion, be dangerous (to the extent that it could kill someone, make someone unconscious or cause them to be taken to hospital) it must be reported.

In practice, this means that you must report situations that you would classify as being Immediately Dangerous (ID) under the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure.

If you repair a dangerous gas fitting, you must still report it under RIDDOR.

What is NOT reportable?
Gas installations that are dangerous solely because they have not been maintained are NOT reportable under RIDDOR.

Dangerous non-gas-safety defects are generally not reportable – such as damaged or inappropriate electrical connections and hot water cylinders without pressure relief.

Concerns in rental accommodation
Dangerous gas fittings in a rented house caused by a lack of maintenance are not reportable under RIDDOR. However, you can send the details to the HSE as a concern. The HSE will then decide whether to investigate further
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/concerns.htm

How to report
https://notifications.hse.gov.uk/riddorforms/DangerousGasFitting

You must report within 14 days of the incident.