Organisational Structure

 The Board of the Authority

Occupational safety and health policy at national level is determined by a twelve-member, tripartite Board, with nominees from the social partners and other interests concerned with safety and health in the workplace. The appointment of the Board of the Authority is a function of the Minister for Labour Affairs under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

Among the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 relating to the Health and Safety Authority (formerly called the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health) in Chapter 1 of Part 5 and Schedule 5 to the Act are –

  • Section 32 - Continuance in being of Authority,
  • Section 34 - Functions of Authority,
  • Section 37 – Membership of Authority, and
  • Schedule 5 – The Authority.

Section 37 of the 2005 Act, Membership of Authority, provides as follows –

37.-(1) the Authority shall consist of a chairperson and 11 ordinary members who shall be appointed by the Minister, who shall comprise the Board of the Authority.

(2) The ordinary members of the Authority shall be –

(a) 3 persons nominated by such organisations representative of employees as the Minister considers appropriate,

(b) 3 persons nominated by such organisations representative of employers as the Minister considers appropriate,

(c) 5 persons as the Minister considers appropriate which shall include one person from the department under whose auspices the Authority operates.

(3) The Minister shall, for the purposes of paragraph 13(b) of Schedule 5, designate one of the ordinary members of the Authority to be deputy chairperson of the Authority.

(4) Notwithstanding the repeal of the Act of 1989 by section 4, a person who is a member of the Authority immediately before the commencement of that section shall continue in the office as such a member for the remainder of the term of office for which he or she was appointed, unless he or she dies or resigns from office or otherwise ceases to hold office in accordance with Schedule 5.

With regard to the role of Advisory Committees under the 2005 Act, section 38 (1) provides as follows -

The Authority may from time to time establish advisory committees to advise in relation to any of its functions and may determine the membership, term of office and terms of reference and regulate the procedure of any such committee.

The members of the Board of the Authority which began its current statutory three year term of office in December 2007 are as follows:

Board of the Authority 
Chairman
Mr Jim Lyons
Employer Nominees
Mr Dermot Carey
Ms Marion Byron
Mr Sean Corrigan		Employee Nominees
Mr Eamon Devoy (Deputy Chairperson)
Mr Dessie Robinson
Ms Esther Lynch
Minister Nominees
Ms Anne-Marie Hayes
Mr Pat Kearney
Mr Francis Rochford
Ms Christine McEleney
Ms Rosie Sheerin		 

Ministers Nominees
Ms. Anne-Marie Hayes
Mr. Pat Kearney
Mr. Francis Rochford
Ms. Christine McEleney
Ms. Rosie Sheerin

The Executive of the Authority
Chief Executive
Martin O’Halloran
Assistant Chief Executive
Workplace Compliance and Advice
Michael Henry		Assistant Chief Executive Prevention Services
Mary Dorgan		Assistant Chief Executive
Chemicals Policy and Services
Sharon McGuinness		Assistant Chief Executive Corporate Services
Robert Roe
Field Operations
Compliance Management and Development
Legal Services		Policy and Technical Services Communications and Customer Relations
Education Strategy
Occupational Health		Marketing and Use
Classification, Packaging and Labelling
Export/Import
REACH and GHS
New Substance Notification Existing Substance Regulation
Chemical and Biological agents
Carcinogen
Asbestos		Human Resources information and Computer Technology Finance
Legislation and Liaison
Research and Statistics