RIDDOR Reporting — SCE Dermatology MCQ

Correct answer: E — When a doctor diagnoses occupational dermatitis caused by a workplace exposure — the employer must report to HSE under RIDDOR 2013

The correct answer is E: When a doctor diagnoses occupational dermatitis caused by a workplace exposure, the employer must report to HSE under RIDDOR 2013. Under Regulation 8 of RIDDOR 2013, dermatitis is a specified reportable disease when the worker has significant or regular exposure to a chemical or biological skin irritant or sensitising agent at work. The trigger for reporting is a confirmed medical diagnosis linking the skin condition to an occupational exposure, not the severity, complications, or outcome of the disease. Once the employer becomes aware of such a diagnosis, they are legally obliged to notify HSE, regardless of whether the man was hospitalised or suffered lasting harm. This reflects the surveillance purpose of RIDDOR: capturing all diagnosed cases of occupational skin disease to guide workplace risk control, not just severe or catastrophic ones. Why the other options are wrong: A. Only if hospitalised: Hospitalisation is not a criterion for reporting occupational dermatitis; reporting is triggered purely by diagnosis of a work-attributable case, and most occupational dermatitis never requires admission. B. Never: This is factually incorrect, as dermatitis is explicitly listed as a reportable disease under RIDDOR 2013 when linked to occupational irritant or sensitising exposure. D. Only for chemical burns: Chemical burns are a separate category of reportable injury; occupational dermatitis reporting applies to irritant or allergic contact dermatitis from any listed sensitiser or irritant, not solely burns. C. Only if permanent disability: RIDDOR does not require permanence or long-term disability for dermatitis to be reportable; even fully reversible, treatable dermatitis triggers a report once diagnosed as work-related. Key point: Any doctor-diagnosed case of dermatitis attributable to workplace exposure to an irritant or sensitising agent must be reported by the employer to HSE under RIDDOR 2013, irrespective of severity or outcome.

Reference: HSE, Reportable occupational diseases, RIDDOR 2013, Regulation 8, https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/occupational-diseases.htm