Ireland’s OSH Compliance Explored in EU Report Co-Authored by TU Dublin Researchers
A team of expert researchers from TU Dublin have coauthored a significant new report, commissioned by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), shedding light on Ireland’s approach to occupational safety and health (OSH) compliance.
The principal investigator was Dr Victor Hrymak; Programme Chair for the TU Dublin MSc in Environmental Health and Safety who collaborated with Dr Patrick Bruce; School of Surveying and Construction Innovation Lecturer and BERIC researcher, Dr Maria Chiara Leva; School of Food Science & Environmental Health Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Human Factors in Safety and Sustainability to write the report titled: ‘Ireland’s approach to supporting occupational safety and health compliance: the role of labour inspectorate and prevention services.’
This report is part of an EU-OSHA research initiative aimed at understanding the role of Labour Inspectorates and national prevention service providers in promoting OSH compliance across EU Member States. Five countries; Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland, and Portugal were selected as case studies.
Focusing on the Irish context, the report explores how regulatory and preventive frameworks work together to encourage compliance with OSH standards, detailing the specific contributions of bodies such as the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). It highlights the strategies employed, the challenges faced, and the best practices that could inform broader European policy.
Key Highlights:
- The HSA employs a balanced strategy combining enforcement with proactive prevention. This includes conducting inspections, offering guidance, and providing educational resources to foster a culture of safety.
- Ireland's OSH framework benefits from a tripartite governance model involving employers, employees, and government representatives. This collaborative approach ensures diverse stakeholder engagement in policy development and implementation.
- Labour inspectors conduct both proactive and reactive inspections, prioritising sectors with higher risks such as agriculture and construction.
- The report underscores the importance of worker involvement in OSH matters, highlighting mechanisms that encourage employee participation in safety initiatives.
- Persistent challenges include addressing safety in high-risk sectors, managing psychosocial risks, and adapting to evolving work environments, such as remote work.
- Digitalisation, training, and stakeholder engagement are key to adapting to future OSH challenges.
In summary, the report highlights the positive role that the Health and Safety Authority and preventative services providers play in promoting workplace safety in Ireland. Nevertheless, more research is required to further reduce current national work-related fatalities, ill health and accidents.
The full report is available from here.