A reduction in the number of inspections being carried out by the Health and Safety Authority due to a reduction in staff numbers will lead to an increase in workplace injuries and costs, its chairman Michael Horgan has warned.
The authority’s annual report for 2012 shows that 13,835 workplace inspections were carried out last year, down from 18,451 inspections carried out by the authority in 2009. The number of full time equivalent staff employed by the authority fell to 170 last year from 177.2 in 2011.
In his introduction to the report, Mr Horgan warned that “current staffing means that no proactive inspections can be carried out across a wide range of sectors and are being reduced in other sectors”.
“In our view, this will lead to a reduction in standards and an increase in workplace injuries and costs,” he said.
The authority recorded 48 work-related deaths in 2012, an 11 per cent decrease on the 54 deaths reported in its 2011 report.
Over half of the fatalities recorded last year were in the agriculture and fishing sectors with 21 farming and seven fishing deaths. Eight fatalities were recorded in the construction sector, an increase on the 2010 and 2011 figures.
Two fatalities, one in the agriculture sector and one in the construction sector, involved children under the age of 18.
A total of 6,619 non-fatal work-related injuries were recorded by the authority in 2012, a 5 per cent decrease in the number of injuries reported in 2011.
Of the 13,835 workplace inspections and investigations carried out last year, 6 per cent resulted in formal enforcement action taken.
In the agriculture sector alone, 3,136 inspections were carried out in 2012, the second highest level of inspections after the construction industry.
Over half of these farm inspections resulted in advice in relation to the safety of children or the elderly. In relation to slurry handling 78 instances of formal enforcement action were taken while tractor and machinery safety resulted in 148 formal enforcements.
The report makes references to 20 prosecutions brought to a conclusion in 2012 which resulted in sentencing and the imposition of fines totalling €425,000.
The highest recorded fine of €300,000 was imposed on Corden Pharma Ltd following an incident in which one employee was killed and another employee suffered serious injuryas a result of a chemical explosion on the second floor of a production building at Little Island, Co Cork in 2008.
A €40,000 fine was imposed on Enterprise Managed Services Ltd following an incident in which two employees suffered burn injuries when working on a live gas main on the Oscar Traynor Road, Dublin in 2007.
Derry White Skip Hire Ltd were fined €15,000 having pleaded guilty to charges relating to an incident involving an employee who had to have his left arm amputated after coming into contact with dangerous moving parts of a conveyor at a waste recycling facility in 2009. Director of the company, Derry White was fined €5,000 in relation to the same incident.