The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) today warned that those who did not obey new construction safety rules by the May 1st deadline for new sites risk enforcement by inspectors.
The regulations, which were announced last year by Mr Tom Kitt - Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs - impose new legal responsibilities on project supervisors in areas such as safety training, welfare and safety consultation.
By May 1st, construction workers on all new projects must have attended a FÁS training course - the FÁS Safe Pass scheme.
Last year, 22 people died in construction-related incidents, and in the first two months of this year, five people working in the sector died.
"These worrying statistics leave us in no doubt as to the importance of the new training requirements and should serve as a timely reminder . . . of the important deadline which is looming," said Mr Jim Heffernan, senior inspector with the HSA.
He said: "The clock has been ticking for all building contractors for some time, and safety training has been mandatory for all new recruits since New Year's Day.
"But ultimately, compliance is a matter for each builder and where the deadlines are not met, we will use the statutory powers available to us to ensure the highest possible standards of safety on each site," Mr Heffernan said.
The HSA is planning to carry out over 7,000 inspections in the construction sector this year to try and ensure compliance with the new regulations.
