The Health and Safety Authority
The Health and Safety Authority is a recent newcomer to Ireland’s governance. It was set up in 1989 under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989.
Its predecessor was the Industrial Inspectorate section of the Department of Labour. The Inspectorate had a relatively narrow remit under the Safety in Industry Acts 1955-1980 and the Mines and Quarries Act 1965. It would have been inadequate for the work required to be done under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, hence the establishment of the Authority into which the Inspectorate was subsumed.
The duties of the Authority are the administration of the Safety in Industry Acts 1955-1980 and the Mines and Quarries Act 1965, the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Acts 1989-2005, and providing an expert support centre of advice and information on Occupational Safety and Health. It is charged with developing safety training for everyone concerned with work in Ireland. In addition it will promote research and studies into the prevention of accidents and disease at work.
The Authority has a website at http://www.hsa.ie/eng/