Accident book template for GB workplaces

Use this template to record the facts of a workplace accident promptly and privately. It captures the injured person's identity and occupation, when and where the accident happened, the cause and nature of any injury, and the details of a person giving notice on the injured person's behalf. A separate employer section records immediate action, investigation, whether a RIDDOR report is required, and who made that decision. Complete one confidential record per person and event; do not circulate a shared sheet that exposes earlier workers' health details to everyone who makes the next entry.

For many GB employers an accident-recording arrangement is required under social-security law. HSE's practical guidance says employers with more than 10 employees must keep an accident book and may use HSE's book or their own record system. The underlying Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, regulations 24–25 and Schedule 4, contain the detailed scope and particulars, including special premises categories. A company should check its own legal position rather than treating the simple headcount summary as the full statutory test. Employers below that threshold may still need RIDDOR records for reportable events and will usually benefit from a consistent injury record.

An accident-book entry is not a RIDDOR notification. Some injuries and other events must be reported to the relevant enforcing authority under the separate Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. The HSE record guidance explains what a reportable-event record should contain. Complys' existing RIDDOR and accident-book guide explains the reporting decision for construction; this page supplies a fillable record and its secure workflow. It is for Great Britain; Northern Ireland has a separate regulator and reporting route.

Copyable private accident-book entry

Assign a unique record number. Keep this completed form in a restricted system or sealed/controlled paper location. Ask the injured person, or a person acting on their behalf, to record the first account as soon as practicable. The employer can then add its investigation without silently overwriting the original account.

A. Person injured

The full name, address and occupation match the particulars listed in Schedule 4. The company/status and contact fields are practical additions; collect only what is needed and tell the individual why the information is held. Do not place sensitive medical details in a publicly accessible site register.

B. The accident and injury

Schedule 4 specifies date/time, place, cause and nature of injury. More detailed fields help later investigation but are not all mandatory accident-book particulars. Keep the original account distinguishable from facts learned later. “Slipped on stairs” may be an account; “employee was careless” is a conclusion and should not be inserted as if witnessed. Seek medical help and make the area safe first. Completing a form must never delay urgent assistance.

C. Person giving notice

The underlying regulation specifically asks for the name, address and occupation of the person giving notice if not the injured person. A supervisor should not erase the injured person's account when adding an employer view. HSE's BI510 specimen illustrates a separate record with an entry/signature and employer area; this template is an original layout, not a reproduction of the HSE form.

D. Employer-only follow-up, separate from the original notice

Under regulation 25, an employer must take reasonable steps to investigate an accident of which notice is given and record discrepancies found between its investigation and the notice. That is why this section is separate from the injured person's report. A later correction may be attached and dated, not backfilled into the original account without a trail.

RIDDOR decision prompt: Do not mark “not reportable” merely because the injury initially appears minor. Revisit if a worker becomes unable to do normal work for the relevant period or a specified injury is diagnosed. The HSE's types of reportable incidents and record requirements should be checked for the actual event. When reportable, make the notification through the appropriate official channel; an internal Complys record alone does not notify HSE.

Record-control index for the employer

Keep the index minimal, with detailed records behind restricted access.

Avoid putting injury descriptions, addresses or diagnoses on a wall chart or open spreadsheet. ICO guidance explains that identifiable injury information is health data requiring stronger protection, a lawful basis and a special-category condition. Limit access to people who need it; use controlled paper pages or role-based digital permissions, and set retention and deletion rules. HSE's BI510 uses individual perforated records to help keep each person's details private, but using that particular book is not the only way to maintain a suitable record.

How to use the template after an accident

1. Help and protect first

Arrange first aid or emergency care and prevent further harm. Preserve relevant evidence where safe. Identify an urgent site hazard, isolate it and tell affected workers. If the event may be RIDDOR-reportable, assign someone immediately to check the official criteria and reporting route; the form is not a reason to wait.

2. Capture the first account promptly

Give the injured person a private way to record the event. If they cannot do so, someone acting on their behalf can supply notice and identify themselves. Record when the employer received it. Use plain factual language and mark uncertainty. If an incident involves several injured people, create separate personal injury records and cross-reference the event ID, rather than place multiple people's medical details in one open form.

3. Investigate and keep a separate finding

The employer checks the work activity, equipment, condition, training and control measures. Ask what happened and what allowed it, rather than focusing solely on blame. Record discrepancies between the original notice and later evidence without deleting the earlier version. Assign and verify corrective actions. If another employer controls part of the workplace, coordinate the investigation and notification responsibilities.

4. Make a RIDDOR decision and watch for change

RIDDOR has its own work-relatedness, injury, dangerous-occurrence and disease tests. The category and deadline vary. A mild initial injury can become an over-seven-day case; a broken bone may already be specified. Use current HSE criteria and have the responsible person submit through the official reporting service if required. Keep the confirmation/reference. HSE says a reportable-event record must include the date and method of reporting, event date/time/place, personal details and a brief description if the online report is not retained. An accident book can cover injury records; it is not by itself a complete method for reportable occupational disease records.

5. Store, restrict and retrieve

Under regulation 25, covered employers must preserve each qualifying accident record for at least three years from the date it was made. Other RIDDOR, insurance, litigation, employment or sector rules may lead to different retention decisions; apply a documented schedule rather than blanket indefinite storage. Make sure workers know how to access an accident-recording means and who receives notices. Protect the record from casual browsing. HSE's simple guidance explicitly allows an employer's own system and tells employers to store people's personal details confidentially.

What this form covers—and what needs a different record

The form records an accident causing injury. A dangerous occurrence without injury, occupational disease, near miss, safeguarding event or environmental spill may require a different record and sometimes a separate statutory notification. You may link them in an incident-management system, but do not force them into Schedule 4's “injured person” fields. A first-aid treatment log may overlap but is not always the same as the statutory accident record. Check the actual legal purpose and avoid making workers enter duplicate or contradictory accounts.

This template is for GB use. If a business also works in Northern Ireland, check HSENI's reporting arrangements and the applicable law rather than reusing “report to HSE” instructions without change. Across GB, the RIDDOR enforcing authority can depend on the premises and activity; HSE's reporting pages are the appropriate starting point.

Common mistakes

• Treating every accident-book entry as a RIDDOR report. Internal recording and external notification are distinct.
• Not recording minor injuries. A record can reveal patterns and may become significant if incapacity develops; statutory scope and business policy should be checked.
• Leaving the next worker able to read the previous injury. Use one restricted record per person and purpose.
• Writing a conclusion as if it were the injured person's first account. Preserve the notice and separately document investigation findings.
• Relying on a “not reportable” box forever. Revisit when diagnosis or ability to do normal work changes.
• Assuming a report to HSE tells the insurer. HSE says it does not; check insurance notice separately.
• Assuming software decides legal reportability. A tool can support a checklist, but the responsible person must apply current RIDDOR criteria and make the official report.

Where Complys may help

The observed UK incident reporting software page is the natural commercial destination for accident and corrective-action recordkeeping. It says Complys can log incidents and track corrective actions, but those capabilities and access controls still require current implementation verification. This template does not claim Complys submits a RIDDOR report, makes a binding reportability decision, satisfies every privacy requirement, or replaces the employer's investigation. If the product cannot capture the Schedule 4 particulars and restrict access to injury details, offer the form as a standalone controlled download rather than promise a complete digital accident-book workflow.

For a fuller reporting explanation, link to the existing construction RIDDOR and accident-book guide. That guide owns the explanatory and deadline intent; this page should retain the fillable-record task.

Questions about accident-book records

Must every employer buy HSE's BI510 book?

No. HSE says covered employers can use its book or record the details in their own system. The system must capture the required particulars, be accessible to give notice, protect confidentiality and meet retention duties.

Can an accident be recorded electronically?

The social-security regulation allows a readily accessible means by electronic means for covered employers. Test actual worker access, authentication, durable records, privacy controls and ability to retrieve the original notice. A shared open spreadsheet may not be a suitable way to handle injury data.

Does an accident-book entry report to HSE?

No. Use the official RIDDOR reporting process if the event meets the criteria. Record the report's method, date and reference separately from the accident entry.

How long must the entry be kept?

Regulation 25 specifies at least three years from the entry date for employers to whom that provision applies. Apply any other relevant retention duty and a documented privacy schedule; avoid asserting that all incident data can be deleted on the same day.

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Writer-side source and claim register — researched 5 October 2026

Canonical, internal-link, product and copy QA

• /templates/accident-book-template returned 404 on both observed Complys UK hosts on 5 October 2026. The exact publishing domain is unresolved and requires repository canonical confirmation; do not assume getcomplys.com or complys.co.uk from this check alone.
• Existing RIDDOR and accident-book article explains law and deadlines but lacks a usable confidential form. Preserve its explanatory ownership. This template page owns the blank record task and links back to the guide.
• Money/parent route UK incident reporting software observed live. Product implementation, access permissions and any RIDDOR check must be verified before promotional copy; no invented product capability or price here.
• Great Britain scope explicit; Northern Ireland is excluded from HSE instructions. Schedule 4 fields, employer-only investigation, RIDDOR decision and confidential storage were checked. Metadata and links included. Independent legal, product, repository and whole-page QA are still required. READY is writer-side only.