About Us
Key Words: Health, Safety, HSA, Health and Safety Authority, Croke Park, Modernisation, Action, Plan
The Health and Safety Authority is the national statutory body with responsibility for enforcing occupational safety and health law, promoting and encouraging accident prevention, and providing information and advice to all companies, organisations and individuals. The Authority is also the national Competent Authority for REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) and other chemicals legislation. The Authority deals with every size of workplace in every economic sector.
The aim of the Authority is to make occupational safety, health and welfare an integral part of doing business in every Irish workplace. It also aims to ensure that the manufacture and use of chemicals in Ireland do not affect human health or the environment. The Authority's strong legislative programme is fundamental to these objectives. To ensure compliance with the legislation, the Authority seeks, primarily, to reduce workplace accidents by providing guidance and support to employers and employees. In turn we also provide guidance and support to Irish businesses on the safe management of chemicals. Where the preventive approach fails, the Authority takes legal action to protect workers, the environment and enforce health and safety standards.
The mission of the Health and Safety Authority is to influence changes in the behaviours of employers and employees so that they can:
- prevent injury and ill-health arising from work activity, and
- protect human health and the environment through the sound management and safe use of chemicals.
To achieve its aims the Authority committed to a three year strategy (2010 to 2012) based on the following goals:
- To enable employers, employees and other duty holders to reduce risks to safety, health and welfare.
- To motivate and gain commitment to having safe and healthy workplaces which support success in all enterprises.
- To support the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the initiation and development of appropriate legislation and policies.
- To hold accountable those who disregard their duties and responsibilities for occupational safety, health and welfare.
- To promote the safe and sustainable management of chemicals.
- To ensure the Authority is effective in delivering on its goals and achieves value for money.
In line with the Croke Park Agreement the Authority has prepared a Modernisation Action Plan to implement modernisation measures. As part of this the Authority has prepared a modernisation progress report
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Ireland has been an ILO-CIS Collaborating Centre since 1995. It is one of 150 centres in the CIS worldwide network of organisations engaged in the collection and dissemination of OSH-related information. More information about the CIS is available by clicking on the image
