Health and Safety Authority tackles 1,000 workplaces

The Health and Safety Authority was forced to take enforcement action in almost 1,000 of the workplaces it inspected last year, its annual report shows.

The authority said it was continuing to regularly encounter employers who “allowed workplace conditions that pose serious risk of injury or ill health to themselves, their employees and members of the public”.

It carried out 15,340 inspections and investigations, of which 7% resulted in formal enforcement action.

“There were 535 improvement notices and 436 prohibition notices issued to address specific activities,” it said. “In addition, the safety and health standards observed in 13 locations were deemed so poor as to warrant an agreed closure.”

Where significant breaches of health and safety legislation were found, the HSA took the employer to court.

There were 32 prosecutions last year, with penalties including five suspended sentences and €819,700 in fines imposed.

In all there were 54 workplace-related deaths in 2011. Of those, 22 involved self-employed people and six involved “non-workers”.

Cork had the highest number of fatalities (13). Of those, six occurred in farming. The authority said loss of control of vehicles and/or machinery was the most common cause of workplace deaths (15 in 2011).

Injuries related to manual handling accounted for about one third of the 6,956 non-fatal injuries reported, with slips, trips, and falls (17%) being the next most common.

Launching the report, Employment Minister Richard Bruton said the authority has used its constrained resources in areas that need them the most and continued to target sectors with high injury rates.

“However I am very concerned about the continued rise in workplace fatalities.

“Every workplace fatality is avoidable and represents a terrible tragedy for a family and a community. Combating workplace fatalities represents a huge challenge for both the HSA and employers and I will continue to assist them in any way I can.”

HSA chief executive Martin O’Halloran said many of the 54 fatal accidents reported last year were preventable.

“While some work can be hazardous, good health and safety practice does save lives. Those companies which are successful in protecting the safety, health, and welfare of their staff are also successful in business.”