Reports increase of risky incidents at work

New reporting requirements aimed at making employers come clean on the scale of non-fatal accidents and other mishaps in the workplace, have seen the number of reported risky incidents rise by almost a third but the level of under-reporting remains a cause for concern.

The new regulations, overseen by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), came into effect in November 2016 and while the number of non-fatal accidents rose only modestly — from 7,357 in the previous 12 months to 7,528 in the year to last November, the number of reported “dangerous occurrences” jumped from 209 to 292.

New emphasis has been placed on documenting dangerous occurrences which is described as where no-one was hurt but the potential existed for injuries. This was an effort to make employers more aware of the hazards at their premises and in their work practices.