제  목 : NEW ACCIDENT REPORTING REGS IN FORCE 1 APRIL 1996
  일  자 : 1996년 01월
  제공처 : SAFETY management

    AYEAR and a half after consultation began revisions to the RIDDOR
  regulations have at last reached the statute books.

    The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) began consultation on the
  Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) in
  April 1994, with the aim of having the regulations in force by April
  1995. They take effect one year later than planned.

    Environment minister Sir Paul Beresford, who laid the regulations
  before Parliament, said : 'I welcome these new Regulations for two
  reasons - fist they streamline and simplify the law on reporting serious
  work related injuries, ill health and dangerous occurrences and secondly
  there will now be just one set of Regulations instead of five.'

    The main changes to the regulations are :

    o Injuries caused by violence at work will be reportable for the first
      time ;

    o The duty of reporting accidents to members of the public in any
      workplace will be simplified - it will be required for deaths or
      accidents where a member of the public is taken to hospital ; and

    o it will become legally possible for reports to be made by telephone
      - pilot schemes will be tested in Scotland this year.

    'There are some significant changes and improvements from the old
    Regulations,' said HSC chairman Frank Davies : 'The HSE and the
    Commission need information about the nature and extent of violence to
    staff, which is the subject of increasing public concern.'

    The regulations adopt recommendations made by inquiries into the
    Clapham rail crash and the King's Cross fire, including :

    o failures in railway signalling systems which endanger or have the
      potential to endanger the safe passage of trains will become
      reportable ;

    o incidents of serious congestion in railways stations will become
      reportable if they cannot be relieved by planned procedures and in
      the time anticipated.

    Said Davies : 'All the accidents and diseases that need to be reported
    are undoubtedly serious - fatalities, major injuries and any injuries
    which mean that someone is unable to do their normal work for three or
    more days.

    'The information we get from these reports is very important. It means
    we can make sure we target our resources at areas of highest risk.'

    Other changes include :

    o updating the reportable diseases ;

    o simplifying, amending and updating the list of dangerous occurrences.

    RIDDOR 95 replaces the existing 1985 regs and the four separate regs
  which currently apply to the rail and offshore industries. New report
  forms, an information leaflet on the Regs, as well as a detailed guide
  and separate guidance for the rail industry will be launched this year.