The 28th April 2016 marks a special day for all of those who have an interest in health and safety as we commemorate those fatally or seriously injured in workplace accidents throughout Ireland and indeed across the world.

The date marks the anniversary of the introduction of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 1970 in the US and commemorates the day of a construction accident in Connecticut that claimed 28 lives. Since then, Workers’ Memorial Day has become the international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.

Workers’ Memorial Day is an opportunity to highlight the preventable nature of most workplace accidents and ill health and to promote campaigns and union organisation in the fight for improvements in workplace health and safety. The theme of the commemorative event is: “Remembering the past for a safe and healthy future”.

Regretfully, in Ireland in the 10 year period between 2006 and 2015, 525 people were tragically killed in work related accidents and several thousand were severely injured. One work place or work related death, accident or illness is simply one too many and the focus in a recovering economy must be for a safe working environment for all to ensure employees return home each day unharmed.

Ronan Hynes, Health and Safety Expert, commented that “health & safety is everyone’s business and can only be tackled through a collective approach by all stakeholders such as the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), employers and employees, trade unions, and public bodies.”

Ronan Hynes

Contact Us

Should you require more information on health and safety legislation, work related accidents or illnesses, please contact Ronan Hynes, partner at Keating Connolly Sellors, for expert legal advice on 061-414355 or [email protected].