There can be no doubt that it has been a significant and challenging year for health and safety. Businesses have responded with resilience and ingenuity in adapting to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic by introducing measures to ensure that their workplaces are safe for employees and others.
The Health and Safety Authority has been very active in monitoring compliance with those measures and they are in addition to the existing occupational and health and safety risks faced by employers which must be managed and addressed in line with your statutory obligations.
In this Winter Audio Briefing Series by the firm's Health and Safety Group, we address key topics that have been brought into sharper focus by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and which are likely to continue to dominate over the coming months.
In the first episode, Deirdre O'Mahony, Partner, Litigation, Dispute Resolution, and Investigations and Alan Coyne, Associate, Litigation, Dispute Resolution, and Investigations discuss HSA inspections including the powers of the HSA and what you can do to ensure that you are prepared for an inspection by the HSA, be it a COVID-19 inspection, a routine inspection or a non-routine inspection.
In the second episode, Kevin Langford, Partner, and Sarah Faulkner, Associate, from our Employment Law Group will discuss the implications of ongoing remote working and some key considerations for employers.
The third episode will focus on the construction sector, and Niav O'Higgins, Partner, and Brian Gillespie, Associate, from our Construction Group, will discuss how the industry has adapted to Covid-19, and how to manage the associated risks, together with a timely reminder of the risks associated with working at height, one of the more significant hazards for those working in construction.
This article contains a general summary of developments and is not a complete or definitive statement of the law. Specific legal advice should be obtained where appropriate.