1. Purpose
This policy sets out Murzo Group's approach to serious incidents, reportable health and safety events, dangerous occurrences, regulator notifications, authority escalation, and evidence preservation.
The purpose is to ensure serious incidents are controlled quickly, people are protected, authorities are notified where required, and Murzo Group does not miss legal reporting duties.
2. Scope
This policy applies to workers, contractors, visitors, customers, suppliers, tenants, landlords, event attendees, site users, and third parties affected by Murzo Group activity.
It covers offices, farms, food environments, warehouses, property, events, vehicles, overseas sites, construction or maintenance activity, lone working, chemical use, security-sensitive work, product incidents, cyber-physical incidents, and public-facing activity.
3. Immediate Priorities
- Protect life, health, welfare, and public safety
- Call emergency services where needed
- Stop unsafe work and isolate immediate hazards where safe to do so
- Preserve the scene and relevant evidence where practical and lawful
- Escalate to an authorised Murzo Group manager immediately
- Consider whether HSE, local authority, fire authority, food authority, environmental authority, police, insurer, client, landlord, or other regulator notification is required
4. RIDDOR and Serious Incident Review
Where an incident involves death, specified injury, over-seven-day incapacity, occupational disease, dangerous occurrence, gas incident, or another reportable event, Murzo Group will check whether a RIDDOR report is required.
The reporting decision must be made by an authorised person or competent adviser. If there is doubt, the issue should be escalated rather than ignored.
5. Other Regulator Notifications
Some incidents may require notification beyond RIDDOR. This can include food safety incidents, product safety incidents, data breaches, environmental releases, fire safety issues, building safety concerns, chemical incidents, security incidents, cultural property issues, controlled goods, sanctions, or customs matters.
6. Evidence and Communication
Incident evidence should be limited to what is needed for safety, legal advice, authority reporting, insurance, investigation, corrective action, and dispute handling.
External communication must be controlled. Workers and contractors must not speculate, admit liability, blame individuals, post online, or give unapproved statements to authorities, media, clients, or insurers.
7. Investigation and Corrective Action
Murzo Group will investigate serious incidents proportionately to the severity and risk. The investigation should identify immediate causes, underlying causes, control failures, duty holders, and practical corrective action.
Corrective action may include stopping work, retraining, revised controls, contractor suspension, product hold, equipment repair, site changes, authority contact, insurance notification, or disciplinary action.
8. Prohibited Conduct
- Failing to escalate a serious incident
- Moving, deleting, altering, or concealing relevant evidence without lawful reason
- Continuing unsafe work after a serious incident or dangerous occurrence
- Making unapproved statements, admissions, or promises to authorities, media, customers, insurers, or affected parties
- Retaliating against anyone who reports a safety or regulator notification concern
9. Review
This policy will be reviewed after any serious incident, regulator contact, material change to operations, or change in reporting requirements.
