For most people, the occurrence of an injury at work is an unlikely event. Workplaces are generally safe places to spend 7 or 8 hours of your day. However, there is the possibility of a work-related injury occurring in any workplace which is why in the UK the Health and Safety Executive officers have the power to inspect and close premises that do not conform to legislated standards. Even with a clean inspection, individual misuse of equipment or lack of care and attention can lead to work-related injuries. When these do happen, it is a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales to report an injury or accident as covered under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations Act 1995. Not all injuries need to be reported, but those that do are (1): * deaths; * major injuries; *over-3-day injuries – where an employee or self-employed person is away from work or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 3 consecutive days; *injuries to members of the public or people not at work where they are taken from the scene of an accident to hospital; *some work-related diseases; dangerous occurrences – where something happens that does not result in an injury, but could have done; *Gas Safe registered gas fitters must also report dangerous gas fittings they find, and gas conveyors/suppliers must report some flammable gas incidents. These are all major incidents which naturally no one would want to see repeated. However, there are many other less-serious incidents that are not covered by the Act, but yet should still be reported at least to your human resources department. Most businesses maintain an accident book as a way of keeping a record of all small or minor injuries at work. The dangers of under-reporting work-related injuries are two-fold. In the first instance, not reporting an injury means that it could happen again to someone else, possibly with more severe consequences. You may only suffer a small cut that can be contained with a sticking plaster, but the next person may lose a finger completely. The second reason for reporting all work-related injuries is that by not doing so, you are not covered by your own or your company's insurance. If you cut your finger and decide to only apply a sticking plaster and not report the injury, if your finger becomes infected and has to be amputated, you would not be able to seek compensation if you had not reported the injury as soon as possible after the event. Some employers shy away from reporting work-related injuries in the belief that their insurance premiums will rise if they do so. This may be the case, but where it is a legal requirement to report injuries, being prosecuted under the terms of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations Act 1995 can lead to a much greater expense through fines if found guilty. (1) http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/r iddor.htm#what