Workers’ Memorial Day highlights the ongoing need for worker safety to be prioritised

Tuesday 28^th April 2026

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), along with colleagues from Ibec and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), are gathering today (Tuesday 28^th April) at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin city centre to mark Workers’ Memorial Day. This national day remembers those who have died, been injured or made seriously ill as a result of work.

Across the ten-year period from 2016 to 2025, 456 people in Ireland died in work-related incidents. Many more suffered life changing injuries or occupational illness. In 2025 alone, 63 people died in workplace incidents, a 75% increase on the 36 people who lost their lives in 2024.

Speaking at today’s Workers’ Memorial Day event, Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon TD, said:

“Today is a solemn day of remembrance, but it also acts as a call to responsibility. It calls on all of us - government, employers, workers, and society as a whole - to reflect on pro-active measures taken and what more we can do to prevent tragedy and protect lives. If we are to truly honour those we have lost, we must do so not only with words, but with action. We must continue to strengthen our commitment to workplace safety. We must ensure that protections are not just written into policy, but lived out in practice, every single day, in every workplace.”

Minister Dillon added:

“We must foster a culture where safety is a core value in our workplaces. A culture where concerns can be raised openly, where workers are proactively consulted on health and safety matters, and where even one injury is understood to be one too many."

"The ongoing work of the Health and Safety Authority is central to this effort, and that is why supporting the HSA in its work is an important priority for the Government.”

Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said:

“A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work.  Keeping workers safe is a priority for the trade union movement and must also be a priority for employers and the State.  One death at work is one too many but I am shocked and saddened that since we gathered for Workers’ Memorial Day last year, that 63 workers have died in preventable incidents at work."

"This must not be accepted.  We must work together to change it.  It remains the fact that the most effective tool we have in ensuring good health and safety at work is properly selected, trained and supported Safety Representatives.  Employers who engage in proper consultation with safety reps and safety committees see a lower rate of injury rates than those who operate without consultation.  We urge employers, the HSA and employer federations to do everything possible to support elected Safety Reps.”

Mark Cullen, Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority, said:

“We know that the same hazards continue to account for the majority of fatal incidents in Irish workplaces. Working with machinery and working at height remain the leading causes of death year after year. These are not new or unfamiliar risks, there are well‑established control measures that are proven to prevent deaths and serious injury when they are applied consistently. The focus must be on the fundamentals, because it is familiar hazards, not emerging ones, that continue to feature in these avoidable fatal incidents.”

As part of Workers’ Memorial Day, Congress, the HSA, Ibec and the CIF are urging employers and organisations nationwide to:

• Always prioritise the safety and health of workers
• Ensure elected Safety Representatives are supported and consulted
• Actively support worker participation and consultation on safety matters
• Use available guidance and tools to strengthen safety and health management

The Health and Safety Authority has a wide range of guidance and supports available for both employers and employees. The free www.BeSMART.ie tool allows employers or the self-employed to carry out risk assessments and identify where the risks are to worker safety in their workplaces.  There are also free online training courses for workers across different sectors on the HSA dedicated online training platform www.hsalearning.ie