Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The staff of the Health and Safety Authority comprises both administration and inspector grades as well as professional and technical specialists. In the 2021 budget the Health and Safety Authority was given an additional pay allocation of €4.2m, primarily to increase the staff available to it, enabling the Authority to deliver further on its mandate including the establishment of an occupational health division.

The Health and Safety Authority now has sanction for 271 staff (this includes recent sanction for an additional 54 posts) covering inspectors, professional and technical specialists (including occupational health specialists) managers, administrative and clerical staff across four divisions: Operational Compliance and Prevention; Occupational Health; Chemicals and Prevention; and Corporate Services as well as the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB).

As of 12^thJuly 2021 the Health and Safety Authority has 73 current vacancies, as shown in the table below. 61 positions are vacant less than six months, of which 10 are vacant less than three months.

The Health and Safety Authority will continue to progress the establishment of the new Occupational Health Division, and an associated increase in staffing resources and the filling of existing vacancies, against the background of a challenging recruitment environment, throughout 2021.