Health Safety Authority Publishes its 2023 Annual Report

The Health and Safety Authority on 24th June, published its 2023 Annual Report highlighting key achievements and outcomes across its broad occupational safety and health, chemical safety, market surveillance and accreditation remit over the course of the year.

This is the Authority’s second Annual Report under its Strategy Statement 2022-2024 which is being delivered against a backdrop of an expanding population and growing workforce.

The publication of the Health Safety Authorities 2023 Annual Report sadly indicated an increase in the rate of fatal work-related incidents in their latest report. This is a stark reminder to Organisations of the risk not adhering to Health & Safety legislation in inputting good consistent policies and procedures in place.

Key highlights from the 2023 Annual Report include:

• 9,995 proactive and 463 reactive inspections completed across all economic sectors and 225 investigations completed following incident reports received.
• 83 investigations undertaken into fatal accidents, of which 43 were deemed work-related.
• Nineteen prosecutions concluded, with 15 prosecuted on indictment and four prosecuted summarily, resulting in fines totalling €1,377,500.
• 43 work-related fatalities reported, the majority of which (72%) occurred in agriculture, fishing and forestry (20 deaths) and construction (11 deaths).
• New regulations introduced, the first of their kind in the EU, making helmet wearing and training for all quad bike operators a legal requirement.
• New Health and Social Care Advisory Committee established.
• Inspection programme launched targeting renewable energy installations, including wind farms, solar farms and anaerobic digestion facilities.
• Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality published to provide practical guidance on managing indoor air quality in the workplace.
• EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability conference hosted focusing on what the future may hold for EU chemicals legislation.
• 917 chemical products assessed, along with 307 industrial products, and a total of 182 non-compliant chemical products removed from the Irish market.
• 13 new accreditations awarded and 384 existing accreditations renewed, supporting a wide range of businesses.
• New guidance and website resources published including a new eLearning course supporting occupational safety and health while remote working.
• The ‘Know, Act, Prevent Garden’ sponsored at the Bord Bia Bloom festival to raise awareness and alert consumers to the dangers associated with everyday chemical products.
• Awareness campaign implemented focusing on psychosocial health, including work-related stress and risk assessments for exposure to sensitive content.
• The full report can be found here.

With the increase in workplace fatalities and nearly €1.4M in fines, it is essential that Organisations ensure they embed compliant processes to mitigate the risk of a financial and legal liability. If you need support with HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety Practices contact a member of the team at Adare now on 01 561 3594 or info@adarehrm.ie to discuss how we can best support you and your team today.