What are my responsibilities after a workplace injury?

When an employee gets injured at work, your first responsibility is their health, wellbeing and safety.

But it’s not always obvious what else you’re meant to do.

In this blog post, we talk you through the steps you should take to stay compliant and protect your business from any negligence claims.

1. Make the situation safe

Before anything else, make sure:

• The injured person gets first aid or medical help
• The area is safe for the rest of your team
• Anyone nearby knows what to avoid

If the injury is serious, call emergency services immediately.

2. Record what happened

You should make a written record of:

• The date, time and place
• What happened (in plain English)
• Who was involved
• Any witnesses
• Photos or evidence, if useful

Accurate records help with investigations, insurance and preventing repeat incidents.

3. Check if it needs reporting under RIDDOR

RIDDOR is the law that says you must report certain serious workplace injuries or incidents to the Health and Safety Executive.

Some injuries must be reported. This includes:

• Serious injuries like fractures (not fingers or toes)
• Loss of consciousness
• Injuries from dangerous occurrences
• Injuries leading to more than seven days’ absence from work

If you’re unsure, check the official RIDDOR guidance or speak to us.

4. Investigate what caused it

Your goal is simple: understand what happened and why.

Look at:

• The task they were doing
• Any equipment involved
• Training records
• Work environment
• Whether processes were followed

Keep this factual and fair. You’re looking for the root cause, not someone to blame.

5. Support the injured employee

Good support reduces stress and helps them to return to work safely.

This might include:

• Keeping in touch while they’re off
• Agreeing to a phased return
• Adjusting duties temporarily
• Reviewing risk assessments if anything needs changing

Small businesses often skip this step, but it makes a big difference to morale and recovery.

6. Learn from it and prevent future incidents

Once you know what caused the injury, take action.

You might need to:

• Update risk assessments
• Improve training
• Repair or replace equipment
• Change how a task is done
• Remind your team of safe working practices

Make sure that any changes are communicated clearly and consistently.

7. Keep your documentation up to date

You may need to update:

• The accident book
• Health and safety policy
• Training records
• Risk assessments
• Maintenance logs

Good documentation is part of your legal responsibilities and protects you if questions come up later.

Get support if you need it

Workplace injuries are stressful and every situation is different.

If you want to make sure you’re handling an incident correctly, or you’d like help with tightening up your health and safety processes, get in touch.

We can walk you through what to do step by step and help you to protect both your people and your business.