Imported machine accident: what should I do?
Help injured people, stop use and arrange safe isolation of the machine. Preserve evidence without delaying rescue or making the area safe. Identify the responsible person and check HSE's separate RIDDOR process promptly, alongside the supplier investigation. Factory records can be gathered with help from Cambridge China Bridge.
Help people and prevent another accident
Arrange first aid and emergency assistance as needed. Keep people away from the affected machine and stop connected equipment if it presents a further danger. Do not restart the machine to demonstrate the fault to the factory.
Have someone competent isolate electrical and other energy sources, secure against reconnection and address stored pressure or parts that could fall. Treat an emergency stop as a stopping control, not proof of safe isolation. HSE says equipment must be made safe before maintenance starts. Mark the machine out of use and control access.
Preserve the machine and its records
Once people are safe, photograph the scene, nameplate, guards, controls, damaged parts and material being processed. Record the time, operating mode, task and people present. Save original camera footage, controller alarms and settings before they are overwritten. Ask witnesses for separate accounts, distinguishing what they saw from what they think caused it.
Prioritise rescue and making the area safe over preserving the scene. Record what was moved or changed, by whom and why. Avoid cleaning, dismantling, resetting software or returning failed parts until you have discussed evidence needs with the investigator and insurer. Keep removed components labelled, with a record of each handover.
Identify who should report
RIDDOR reports should be submitted only by the responsible person. Check HSE's role guidance against the actual employment and premises arrangements: start by identifying the injured person's employer and who controls the workplace. For agency workers or visiting contractors, clarify these facts rather than assuming the machine owner handles reporting.
Record the responsible organisation, named contact and who will check reportability. Do not assume importing the machine or contacting its factory settles that question. Keep reporting responsibility separate from the liability questions covered in who is liable when an imported product hurts someone.
Check the separate RIDDOR process promptly
Use HSE's reporting guidance listed in the sources to check the incident category, applicable deadline and reporting route. Dangerous occurrences are defined categories, so compare the event with HSE's category guidance even if nobody was injured. Do not treat every breakdown or near miss as automatically reportable.
The responsible person should use the appropriate online form where reporting is required. Do not wait for the factory's diagnosis before checking the process. Keep your incident notes and submission evidence together, and record the reasons for any decision that reporting is not required. Telling the supplier is a separate action.
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Investigate the fault before planning a restart
Notify your insurer and send the supplier a factual incident summary, machine identity and a request to preserve build and test records. Ask for drawings, safety-control details, software versions and the history of changes to the supplied machine. Compare these with your machinery purchasing records and installation and commissioning arrangements.
Arrange a competent investigation and a written repair and verification plan before considering a restart. Check whether the same fault could affect other machines you bought or supplied. A replacement component alone does not explain the cause. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help request factory records and track the supplier's proposed corrective action.
Frequently asked questions
Should I restart the machine to show the factory?
Keep it out of use. Send existing footage, alarms and photographs. Any controlled testing should follow a competent person's investigation plan after the risks have been assessed.
Is a machine near miss reportable under RIDDOR?
Some near misses fall within defined dangerous-occurrence categories. Check the actual event against HSE's guidance; a breakdown alone does not establish reportability.
Does the importer have to make the RIDDOR report?
Check who is the responsible person under HSE's role guidance. Identify the employer and premises arrangements rather than assigning reporting solely because someone imported the machine.
What evidence should I keep after a machine accident?
Keep scene photographs, machine identity, original footage, alarms, settings, witness accounts and purchase and maintenance records. Label removed parts and record changes made for rescue or safety.