Health and safety obligations in relation to different types of activity

Employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of employees. They must determine all the risks that their workers may be exposed to and offer the necessary preventive and protective measures. This includes information and training on health and safety and securing the necessary resources to ensure a safe working environment.

First aid, firefighting, and evacuation procedures must be created and followed, that accounts for the nature and size of your business. It may be necessary to reach out and develop a relationship with emergency services. There must also be one or more trained staff member who is able to carry out emergency procedures and liaise with emergency services.

Learn more about health and safety in Ireland and in the EU here:

There are no EU-wide rules for how to conduct a risk assessment, and your national rules may have specific requirements. However, a comprehensive risk assessment commonly means you must:

• identify any potential risk, like any dangerous substances, slippery floors, or unsafe equipment
• evaluate the risks, including the likelihood of an accident and how serious they could be
• eliminate the risk where possible, but if not possible, you must reduce it, such as replacing dangerous equipment, providing safety gear or ensuring your employees are trained and aware of the risks
• document this risk assessment by creating a list of identified risks, the workers who might be affected, the preventative and protective measures you already have and are putting in place, and the estimated timeline for implementation and improvements
• review this assessment regularly to take account of any change in circumstances
• collect relevant information, such as any time an accident occurs, who is affected, how it happened, and what was measures were put in place afterwards to ensure it doesn't happen again

You must also account for vulnerable workers(e.g. pregnant employees, older workers, or those with disabilities) or workers who perform specific tasks (e.g. cleaners working with chemicals, cooks around sharp objects and hot surfaces, and anyone using heavy machinery)

The completed risk assessment and any recommended safety measures must be shared with the relevant workers or representatives specifically responsible for workplace safety. They also have the right to propose or request additional measures.

Useful information on how to conduct a risk assessment can be found in the European Commission’s guidance on risk assessment at work.

You can ask a health and safety specialist to carry out the assessment if you are unable to.

Depending on what kind of business you are operating and the law in your country, you can also carry out a risk assessment with the help of a free online tool.

Workers must have access to the necessary equipment and precautions to address specific workplace risks. A few examples of the specific requirements outlined in EU occupational safety and health (OSH) rules include:

• personal protective equipment (PPE) must be provided free of charge if required. Depending on national laws, if the equipment has a general use or not exclusively used in the workplace, workers may be asked to contribute to costs
• eye and eyesight tests: workers who significantly use display screen equipment for their normal work are entitled to regular eyesight tests and, if needed, special corrective appliances
• Biological agents: if there is a risk of exposure to biological agents, employees must have access to protective clothing, and activities like eating or drinking in areas of risk must be forbidden

Find a full overview of sector-specific measures and obligations on the website on health and safety at work.

Workers and/or their representatives must be included in any assessments workplace health and safety. This includes:

• consultations: workers and/or their representatives must be consulted on all matters related to health and safety at work. You must follow national laws for the exact procedures, but the consultations must cover all relevant health and safety measures
• appeals: if workers and/or their representatives are entitled to appeal to the relevant national authority if they believe that the current or proposed health and safety measures are inadequate
• representative training: workers’ representatives who have specific roles regarding workplace health and safety must receive the appropriate training to identify any potential risks or dangers

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