The 2014 annual report of the Health & Safety Authority (HAS) shows another annual increase in the number of workplace fatalities and the incidents of non-fatal injuries.

There were 56 fatal workplace accidents reported in 2014, an increase of 16% on the 2013 figure. A total of 7,431 non-fatal injuries were reported in 2014, an increase of 11% on the previous year’s figure.

Health and social work reported the highest number of non-fatal injuries, while agriculture and construction continue to be the most hazardous sectors.

Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash TD, expressed concern at the increases outlined in the report. He said “it is our goal to increase employment opportunities, but it concerns me that as the number of people at work increases the rate of non-fatal accidents has also risen.  We must ensure that economic recovery is not at the expense of safety and health standards”.

IMPACT assistant general secretary Geraldine O’Brien works with IMPACT HSA branch, which represents staff at the Authority. Geraldine said, “In recent years IMPACT has continued to highlight the elevated risk of death and serious injury in the workplace as the number of workplace inspections continued to fall due to resource constraints at the HSA. The rate of workplace inspections decreased by another 12% in 2014.

“With more people returning to work each year, and fewer workplace inspections, the risks continue to increase. It is essential that the workplace inspection regime is fully resourced so that it can meet the demands of a growing workforce," she said.