Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2026
55. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the reason the Health and Safety Authority does not provide a clear breakdown, by gender, of workplace fatalities and injuries in the reports it publishes periodically; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13152/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe principal functions of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are to monitor and enforce compliance with occupational health and safety law, to provide information and expert advice to employers, employees and the self-employed, to promote workplace safety, health, welfare, education and training, to publish research on workplace hazards and risks and to propose new regulations and Codes of Practice to the Minister.
The HSA publishes multi-annual data on fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries on its website, HSA.ie. These datasets include information on the gender, age, and employment status of those injured or killed, broken down by economic sector.
In addition, the HSA releases its Annual Review of Workplace Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics each year. This report provides a detailed breakdown of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities across several categories, including gender.
The evidence presented in this report highlights the continued dangers facing workers each day. The average fatality rate in 2025 was 2.1 per 100,000 workers, which is an increase from 1.3 per 100,000 in 2024. However, despite the increase recorded in 2025, the average number of work-related fatalities in Ireland continues to trend downwards, with 2.3 deaths per 100,000 workers recorded in 2016.
The Health and Safety Authority continues to collaborate with stakeholders across Ireland to assist businesses across all sectors of the economy to comply with workplace health and safety obligations, to establish better long-term occupational health practices, to ensure maximum impact from regulatory activities, especially in high-risk sectors, and to amplify prevention and guidance activities.
In the coming year, the HSA will deliver a comprehensive programme of risk-based, evidence-led workplace health and safety inspections across all sectors of the economy. Those sectors that pose the highest health and safety risks will be targeted with a range of enforcement, compliance and awareness-raising interventions, as well as targeted public communications campaigns.
