Due to be enacted in 2005, the Safety Health & Welfare at Work Bill 2004 will again raise the profile of Irish health and safety legislation and its impact upon employers and employees. The Bill follows on from the ‘Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Safety, Health & Welfare at Work’ in 1983 by Justice Barrington, which led to the implementation of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 1989. The 2004 Bill is also the result of a review of health and safety legislation by the Health & Safety Authority.
If enacted, as currently drafted, the Bill will introduce new liabilities for directors and senior managers, which should result in a considerable tightening of Ireland’s health and safety environment. Labour force survey figures published by the Central Statistics Office suggests that almost 20,000 people are seriously injured at work each year.
