How long should I keep accident records?

Records of RIDDOR reportable incidents and over 3 day injuries must be kept for at least three years from the date they were made. Many businesses keep accident records for longer in case of an injury claim.

How long must health surveillance records be kept?

For the period set by the relevant regulations. Under COSHH that is 40 years. Where no period is set, HSE says keep the record at least for as long as you employ the worker.

Do I need an accident book?

If you have more than 10 employees you must keep an accident book under social security law. Smaller businesses are still advised to record accidents, and RIDDOR recording duties apply to everyone.

Do small businesses need to keep health and safety records?

Yes. Some duties, such as writing down risk assessment findings and your health and safety policy, only apply once you have 5 or more employees, but RIDDOR records, health surveillance and equipment inspection records apply regardless of size.

What health and safety records must UK employers keep, and for how long?

Good records are how you prove you are managing health and safety. They are the first thing an HSE inspector, insurer or solicitor will ask for. Some records are required by law, and some laws also set how long you must keep them.

Here is a practical checklist for UK employers.

Records required by law

Record	Who it applies to	How long to keep it
Risk assessment significant findings	Employers with 5 or more employees	Keep the current version, and older versions as evidence of what was in place
Written health and safety policy	Employers with 5 or more employees	Keep it current and record each review
Fire risk assessment significant findings	Employers with 5 or more employees, and some licensed premises	Keep the current version
RIDDOR reportable incidents and diagnoses	All employers and others in control of premises	At least 3 years
Over 3 day injuries	All employers	At least 3 years
Accident book	Employers with more than 10 employees	At least 3 years
Health surveillance records	Workers under health surveillance	As set by the relevant regulations: 40 years under COSHH
Lifting equipment thorough examination reports	Anyone using lifting equipment	Periods are set out in HSE guidance INDG422

Risk assessments

If you employ 5 or more people, you must record the significant findings of your risk assessment: the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and the controls in place. The same rule applies to your fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Keep earlier versions too. If something goes wrong, you may need to show what assessment was in place at the time.

Accidents, injuries and RIDDOR

Under regulation 12 of RIDDOR 2013, you must keep a record of:

every incident and diagnosis you report under RIDDOR, and
every work related injury that keeps a worker off normal duties for more than 3 consecutive days, even though it does not need reporting.

These records must be kept for at least three years. If you have more than 10 employees you must also keep an accident book.

Health surveillance

Where workers are exposed to hazards such as noise, vibration, dust, solvents or other hazardous substances, you may need to provide health surveillance. The health record must be kept for the period set in the regulations. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) that is 40 years. Where no period is set, keep it at least as long as you employ the worker.

Health records should not contain confidential medical information unless the worker has given written consent.

Lifting equipment

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined by a competent person, unless an examination scheme sets other intervals:

every 6 months for lifting accessories, such as chains and slings, and for equipment used to lift people,
every 12 months for all other lifting equipment.

Keep the report of each thorough examination, and make sure any defects it lists are fixed.

Records that are good practice

The law does not set a retention period for everything, but these records are often what protects you if there is a claim or an investigation:

training and induction records, including toolbox talks,
inspection checklists and maintenance logs,
safety meeting minutes and consultation with staff,
contractor checks, such as insurance and competence,
near miss reports,
personal protective equipment issued.

Remember also to display your current employers' liability insurance certificate where staff can see it, or make it available to them electronically.

Tips for keeping records under control

Keep them in one place. Scattered spreadsheets and paper files are where gaps appear.
Date everything and record who carried out each check.
Set review dates for risk assessments, policies and inspections.
Store personal data securely and in line with UK GDPR, especially health information.

How MYRA helps

MYRA Compliance brings your risk assessments, policies, incidents, inspections, training records, COSHH assessments and asset maintenance into one secure place, with dates and owners on everything, so you can find any record in seconds when an inspector or insurer asks.

Find out more about everything MYRA Compliance can do.