Fórsa is engaging with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) following the launch of its strategy statement earlier this month.

Minister of state Damien English launched the strategy, which highlights the HSA’s key goals in tacking current and emerging challenges that face workers and across workplaces.

These include the introduction of remote and hybrid working, advances in technology and the green economy, the ‘gig economy’, and the needs of vulnerable workers and migrant groups.

The Health and Safety Authority has a wide and varied mandate including acting as the national body with responsibility for protecting all workers nationwide from work-related incidents, injuries and ill health. It also acts as the market surveillance authority for chemicals and industrial products and protects all citizens from the risks arising from the use of chemicals.

Fórsa official Lisa Connell welcomed the report and said it was forward thinking. “It’s clear that the HSA is looking to the future, considering the introduction of new technology and the increased focus on climate action and sustainability, which should be beneficial to occupational safety and health,” she said

She also commended the work of the organisation. “This body has proved integral in ensuring that our members are kept safe in the workplace, and has been vital to workers during Covid, considering the risks posed by the pandemic,” she said.

The HSA Strategy Statement 2022-2024 can be read here.