The most dangerous jobs in the State continue to be farming, fishing and construction, according to figures released by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) .
A total of 47 people died in workplace accidents in 2013, compared to 48 in 2012.
Farming had the highest rate of work related deaths with a total of 16 fatalities, down from 21 the previous year. There were 11 construction related deaths in 2013, a slight increase over the eight fatalities in 2012.
Over 6,500 people were injured at work in 2013. Construction workers were most likely to be injured on the job, with health and social workers and farmers trailing close behind. Farmers were also the most likely to become ill on the job.
Themes that emerged from the research, which was carried out by the HSA and the Economic and Social Research Institute, included the need to improve safety in agricultural work and the prevention of slippage on construction sites.
The HSA uses a combination of enforcement and prevention to reduce the number of workplace injuries and deaths.
“We try to use our resources in a way that has maximum effect while achieving a positive outcome for workers and employers,” said chief executive Martin O’Halloran. “Last year we targeted farming, vehicles, safety in small businesses, amongst others, and hopefully this approach will have a long-term positive effect on occupational safety and health.”
Over 12,000 inspections were carried out by the HSA across all sectors in 2013. The inspections resulted in 28 prosecutions and over €2 million in fines for health and safety violations.
HSA chairman Michael Horgan said the authority is targeting young people from agricultural and fishing communities to raise awareness about safety because “they are the workers of tomorrow”.
He said “it’s in nobody’s interest to facilitate a culture where accidents are seen as part and parcel of the job”.
Speaking about the results, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton highlighted the importance of workplace safety. "Every workplace fatality is avoidable and represents a terrible tragedy for a family and a community. Combatting workplace fatalities and injuries represents a huge challenge for both the Health and Safety Authority and employers," he said.
“For most businesses all it takes is some simple steps and forward thinking to avoid the vast majority of accidents in the workplace.”