Why Are Employers’ Duties Relating to Health, Safety and Welfare Not Understood or Not Known?

Abstract

There are company directors in the construction and manufacturing sectors in the Republic of Ireland who are unaware of their duties in relation to safety, health and welfare at work. Phrases such as hazard, specific risk assessment, control measures, hierarchy of control measures and safe system of work do not appear to be understood. This study focused on safety management of 10 limited companies located in the Republic of Ireland. The plant and equipment and processes used by all 10 companies result in high-risk activities that require specific control measures. There is a perception among company employers that the role of the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) is to tell and show them precisely what they need to do in terms of health and safety management; however, this perception is flawed. The HSA’s remit is wide reaching including (but not limited to) promotion, inspection, investigations and the development of a myriad of extremely useful publications and short guides to help duty holders understand what is required. However, even with the work of HSA, there is a serious issue in terms of basic knowledge amongst employers. This paper proposes to address the gaps in knowledge by changing the process for becoming an employer for certain companies that carry out high risk activities by having a mandatory health and safety entrance exam before the directorship/permission to trade is approved. This study is unique in that there is no other study of this type reported to-date in terms of identifying such a significant knowledge gap.