Action plan to target worker health and safety in the health and social care sector launched

Monday 30th June 2025

The Health and Social Care Advisory Committee (HSCAC), an advisory committee to the Board of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), has today (30th June 2025) published its 2025 – 2027 Action Plan, a landmark initiative to enhance occupational health and safety standards across Ireland’s largest employment sector. 

Presenting the committees’ first action plan, David Hughes, the HSCAC Co-Chair, stated,

“The Health and Social Care sector in Ireland is vital for the wellbeing and quality of life of everyone living in the country.  This new action plan will help the sector reduce the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses, while also improving its health and safety culture.  A sincere thank you to all the members of the Advisory Committee and our stakeholders for their ongoing support”.

Adding to that, Terry O’Niadh, HSCAC Co-Chair, said, 

“Creating a safe and healthy work environment is a basic duty of all employers, and no worker should face injury or illness because of caring for others.  The challenges facing the sector are well-documented - from physical hazards to work-related violence and stress.  This Action Plan provides a clear and practical roadmap to tackle those risks, support compliance, and empower workers and employers alike”.

Mark Cullen, Interim HSA Chief Executive Officer, commented, 

“Prioritising the safety, health and welfare of this essential workforce is not just a legal duty - it is a societal imperative.  The work of the HSCAC will be vital in guiding our regulatory and promotional efforts over the next three years.  We strongly support this collaborative and proactive approach to improving occupational health and safety in the sector”.

The HSCAC has identified five key goals to support the HSA’s work:

1. Enhance information and intelligence to inform interventions.
2. Promote a positive health and safety culture in the workplace.
3. Promote and support safety representatives and safety consultation in health and social care workplaces.
4. Undertake initiatives to reduce the risk of injury to employees from work-related violence and aggression.
5. Enable employers and employees to implement best practice in managing the risk of work-related psychosocial hazards, in particular work-related stress and work-related bullying.

The Health and Social Care sector is the largest employer in Ireland and in 2024 accounted for 13.7% of all employed persons.  Formed in late 2023, the HSCAC  acts as a platform for key stakeholders to advise and support the HSA in promoting best practice in occupational health and safety in the sector.  

Due to the nature of their work, health and social care workers can face a variety of potentially hazardous activities.  In fact, the sector reports the highest number of non-fatal work-related incidents to the HSA with falls, manual handling, and work-related violence and aggression the leading incident triggers. 

The Health and Safety Authority has a wide range of online tools, courses and supports for the health and social care sector, including hsalearning.ie and our free online safety management tool BeSMART.ie.  A range of publications geared to the needs of the health and social care sector are available here.  

View the The Health and Social Care Action Plan 2025–2027 here