Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational safety, health, and welfare in Ireland. It sets out the duty of the employer to ensure employees, visitors and others that use or enters the premises are protected from the risk of harm.
This expansive and overarching piece of legislation means that the safety, health and welfare of people who work and use the site should be considered all year round, including and especially during extreme weather.
Occupiers Liability Act 1995
The Occupiers Liability Act 1995 extends an employer's duty of care beyond visitors and employees. It comes into play when the owner or operator of the site is aware that there are dangers on the property. The more serious the risk, the greater the responsibility to everyone, including trespassers.
To ensure people do not come into harm, measures such as clear signage should be used to highlight potential hazards.
Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007
This code of practice stipulates the minimum health and safety requirements for a workplace.
It is often unclear who is responsible for areas surrounding a site. In this instance, where there is the risk to people, both employees and other people using the premises, companies need to carefully consider their actions. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health indicates that best practice should always be considered, so although the access to a property might not actually be within the boundaries of the site, it would be preferable to grit the area anyway to help staff and visitors arrive and leave safely. If they fail to grit the surface and as a result, someone had an accident, they could incur some liability.
It is sensible therefore to consider the risks in and around a site and take reasonable steps to prevent accidents and injuries occurring.
