The HSE no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in their risk assessment or to have specific measures in place. Employers may still choose to continue to cover COVID-19 in their risk assessments.
24 April 2022
The HSE no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in their risk assessment or to have specific measures in place. Employers may still choose to continue to cover COVID-19 in their risk assessments.
There is a requirement to protect those who will come into contact with the virus due to their work activity.
You can find advice for people who may be at higher risk such as those who are immunosuppressed.
COVID-19 will remain a public health issue, and guidance for workplaces is being replaced with public health advice.
You can check the latest position and timescales for the nation you are working in:
RIDDOR reporting
This guidance is for people reporting incidents under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). The person reporting is usually the employer (known as the ‘responsible person’ under RIDDOR).
What not to report
Under RIDDOR you are not required to report:
- Cases of disease or deaths of members of the public, patients, care home residents or service users from COVID-19
- Cases where an employee has infected another employee with coronavirus through general transmission in the workplace
- Cases where a member of the public has infected an employee with coronavirus through general transmission in the workplace, unless infection is likely to have occurred from working in an environment with a person known to have COVID-19, for example in health or social care.
What to report
RIDDOR reporting requirements relating to cases of disease, or deaths, from COVID-19 only apply where an employee has been infected with coronavirus through:
- Deliberately working with the virus, such as in a laboratory
- Being incidentally exposed to the virus
Incidental exposure can occur when working in environments where people are known to have COVID-19, for example in a health or social care setting.
You should only make a report under RIDDOR when one of the following circumstances applies:
- An accident or incident at work has, or could have, led to the release or escape of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This must be reported as a dangerous occurrence
- A person at work (a worker) has been diagnosed as having COVID-19 attributed to an occupational exposure to coronavirus through either deliberately working with the virus or being incidentally exposed to it. This must be reported as a case of disease due to exposure to a biological agent
- A worker dies as a result of occupational exposure to coronavirus through either deliberately working with the virus or being incidentally exposed to it. This must be reported as a work-related death due to exposure to a biological agent
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