Accident on Site: What a UK Builder Must Do in the First 24 Hours
The short answer
Look after the injured person first: first aid and 999 if needed. Make the area safe and stop work there. Record what happened while it's fresh, then check whether it's reportable under RIDDOR: deaths and specified injuries must be reported without delay, over-7-day injuries within 15 days. Tell your insurer, then the client.
- Hour 0–1: people first. First aid, 999 if in doubt, make the area safe, stop work there. Then record it: accident book, photos, witness names.
- Hour 4–24: the RIDDOR test. Death or specified injury: report without delay (phone 0345 300 9923 is allowed for these). Off work over 7 days: report within 15 days. Over 3 days: record it.
- Tell your insurer early and follow the policy's notification terms. Employers' liability cover must be at least £5 million.
- Facts only. Don't guess the cause, admit fault or promise money on the day.
A shout from the scaffold, then silence. Someone is on the ground. In the next hour you'll make decisions that matter for that person, for your business and for anyone who asks later what happened.
Most of what ranks for this is written by injury-claim solicitors for the person who got hurt.
This guide is for the UK builder or contractor running the site. It covers what to do after an accident on site in the first hour, 4 hours and 24 hours, by the HSE's own rules. Want your site set-up checked? Book a free strategy call.
This is general information from a contractor's experience, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to a health and safety adviser or a solicitor.
Hour 0 to 1: people first
- First aid now. Your first aider or the nearest trained person takes charge of the injured person.
- Call 999 if in doubt. Send someone to the gate to meet the ambulance.
- Make the area safe. Stop work in that area, isolate power or plant, cordon it off.
- Leave things as they are where it's safe to: the ladder, the tool, the board. They show what happened.
- Tell the person's family if they can't, or if they ask you to.
Hours 1 to 4: record it while it's fresh
Memories change within days. Write everything down today.
| Record | How | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Accident book entry | Date, time, place, person, what happened, injury, first aid given | Over-3-day injuries must be recorded; it's the start of your file |
| Photos | Wide shots and close-ups of the area, equipment, conditions, before anything moves | Shows the scene as it was |
| Witnesses | Names, phone numbers, a short written account from each, signed and dated | People leave sites and forget |
| The work | What task, which method statement and risk assessment, what equipment and PPE | You'll need it for RIDDOR, the insurer and any HSE visit |
| Status | Employee, self-employed sub, agency worker or member of the public | Decides who reports and which insurance responds |
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Hours 4 to 24: the RIDDOR test
RIDDOR is the law on reporting serious workplace accidents to the HSE. Work through it in this order.
| What happened | What you must do | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| A death | Report to HSE | Without delay; report received within 10 days |
| A specified injury to a worker (list below) | Report to HSE (online, or phone 0345 300 9923 for fatal and specified injuries) | Without delay; report received within 10 days |
| A worker off work or unable to do normal duties for more than 7 consecutive days | Report online | Within 15 days of the accident |
| A worker off for more than 3 days (but not more than 7) | Record it, don't report it | Keep the record at least 3 years |
| A member of the public taken straight from the scene to hospital for treatment | Report to HSE | Without delay; within 10 days |
Count the 7 days without the day of the accident, but include weekends and rest days. A visit to hospital just for a check or an X-ray isn't "treatment".
The specified injuries:
- Fractures, except fingers, thumbs and toes
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, thumb, leg, foot or toe
- Injury likely to cause permanent loss or reduction of sight
- Crush injury to the head or torso damaging the brain or internal organs
- Serious burns: over 10% of the body, or damaging eyes, breathing or vital organs
- Scalping that needs hospital treatment
- Loss of consciousness from a head injury or asphyxia
- Enclosed-space injury causing hypothermia or heat illness, or needing resuscitation or 24+ hours in hospital
Who reports: employee vs self-employed sub
| Injured person | Who reports under RIDDOR | Insurance to call |
|---|---|---|
| Your employee | You, the employer | Your employers' liability insurer |
| A self-employed sub working on your site | The person in control of the premises (on most sites, the contractor running it). The sub should make sure you know | Your insurer, and ask for the sub's own insurance details |
| An agency worker | Check with the agency and take advice; record it either way | Your insurer and the agency |
| A member of the public | The person in control of the work or premises | Your public liability insurer |
Employers must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million. If you're not properly insured you can be fined £2,500 for every day. Ring your insurer or broker today, follow the notification terms in your policy, and send them your records. To check who your policy covers before the next job, read employers' liability insurance for subcontractors.
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What to tell the client, and what not to say
Call the client the same day, then confirm in writing. Keep to facts.
"There was an accident on site today. [A worker] was injured while [task] and has been [treated on site / taken to hospital]. The area is made safe and work there has stopped while we look at what happened. We've informed [our insurer / the HSE, if reportable]. Work elsewhere on site [continues / restarts on day]. I'll update you on [day]."
| Do say | Don't say |
|---|---|
| What happened, in facts | Guesses about the cause |
| What you've done to make it safe | "It was our fault" or "he was messing about" |
| Who you've informed | Promises of money or compensation |
| When you'll update them | Anything about the injured person's private medical details |
Days 2 to 7: find the cause and fix it
- Investigate: what was being done, how it was planned, what went wrong. Talk to the people involved.
- Review the method statement and risk assessment for that task. Change them if they failed, and brief the team.
- Keep the file: accident book entry, RIDDOR report reference, photos, witness statements, insurer correspondence. RIDDOR records must be kept for at least 3 years.
- Expect questions. The HSE, your insurer and the client may all ask for your records. The better the file, the shorter the conversation.
Craftex holds CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. Those schemes test exactly this: how you plan work, record incidents and learn from them. Our accreditation service sets up the same system for contractors, and the CHAS vs Constructionline vs SafeContractor comparison helps you pick a scheme. To get your own records checked, book a free strategy call.
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This is general information from a contractor's experience, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to a health and safety adviser or a solicitor.
Accident on site: the first 24 hours
- First aid, 999 if in doubt, area made safe, work stopped there
- Accident book filled in, photos taken, witnesses written down
- RIDDOR test done: death or specified injury reported without delay; over-7-day within 15 days
- Insurer told, following the policy's notification terms
- Client called and updated in writing, facts only
