Health and Safety Authority publishes 2017 Annual Report

The Health and Safety Authority uses information and advice as a primary method of achieving compliance. It also provides free resources to enable enterprises manage their employees’ safety and health.

During 2017 the free online safety tool for small businesses, BeSMART.ie, added a further 8,500 new users.

Over 30 industry specific guidance documents were published with approximately 360,000 publications downloaded from the HSA website.

Almost 25,000 students at post-primary and further education participated in the ‘Choose Safety’ programme and 17,750 courses were taken on the Authority’s eLearning portal.

In anticipation of the UK Exit from the EU in 2019, advice was provided to companies on the implications for chemicals supply chains.

Protecting workers and consumers through enforcement
Last year the Authority completed a total of 9,934 inspections and investigations. There were almost 2,000 farm inspections and investigations and over 4,400 carried out in the construction sector. Inspectors issued 512 improvement notices and 547 prohibition notices after serious breaches were found. A total of 21 prosecutions were successfully concluded, resulting in fines of over €2.6m.

As well as protecting workers the Authority plays a key role in protecting consumers. There were 400 market surveillance checks of chemical products on the Irish market, including 200 on detergents to address concerns for consumer safety.

To download a copy of the 2017 Annual Report visit hsa.ie