The Health and Safety Authority (the Authority) was established in 1989 under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989. Additional functions have been conferred on the Authority since then under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the Chemicals Acts 2008 and 2010 and other legislation. In 2014, the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) was included under the Authority’s functions. The Authority reports to the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail under delegated authority from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
The Authority has a very broad mandate as set out below across the areas of workplace health and safety, chemicals, market surveillance and accreditation.