A new construction safety code of practice for small contractors has been announced today by the Minister for Labour Affairs.

The new code of practice, which comes into effect on April 2 this year, is designed to reduce accidents and fatalities in the construction sector and assist small contractors comply with safety and health legislation.

Minister Kelleher said: "Compliance with this construction safety code of practice is a relatively simple way of meeting obligations set out in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, in particular the requirement to have a safety statement."

The code of practice is based on the award-winning Safe System of Work Plan (SSWP), a pictogram based system devised by the Health and Safety Authority.

-- Advertisement --

"The idea of using pictograms is particularly appropriate considering we now have a multi-cultural workforce in Ireland. I very much welcome these types of innovative approaches in ensuring everyone gets the safety message," he added.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will focus on the high-risk construction sector this year.

Martin O'Halloran, Chief Executive Officer of the HSA explained: "Regardless of whether you are a small or a large contractor, you have a moral and legal duty to protect yourself, your employees and those around you. This new code of practice will be of great assistance to small contractors in making sure they meet this duty.

"For small contractors who are unlikely to have formal management structures in place, this will make compliance with the legislation very straightforward and provide a proven solution to safety and health issues on construction sites," he said.

The launch of the code of practice is part of Construction Safety Week which sees the Health and Safety Authority undertaking an intensive inspection campaign in the construction sector.

Overall this year the Health and Safety Authority will implement a focused programme of 7,000 construction site inspections.

(VB/JM)