The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Health and Safety Authority have called on more organisations to support and facilitate the appointment of safety representatives within their workplaces to help prevent injuries, illnesses and deaths.

The appeal comes on Workers’ Memorial Day, which is dedicated to remembering people who have lost their lives or been injured at work.

A national commemorative ceremony was held at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin this morning.

Thirty-four people were killed in workplace incidents in 2024 and two thirds of all fatalities occurred among those aged 55 and over.

Agriculture accounted for 12 fatalities. This means that over a third of all fatalities came from a sector employing just 4% of the workforce.

The construction sector saw a decline from ten fatalities in 2023 to five in 2024.

Safety representatives are workers who serve as liaisons between management and staff, advocating for effective safety protocols.

“Under the current legislation, employees are entitled to elect a safety representative to represent them on safety and health matters with their employer,” said ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy.

“There are thousands of trade union safety representatives in workplaces nationwide, but we need more.

“Together we can honour the memory of fallen workers, create safer workplaces, and protect lives,” he added.

Over the past decade, 447 people died in work-related incidents in Ireland and many thousands more have been injured or made ill because of work.

“We’ve made significant strides since the inception of the Health and Safety Authority in 1989, evident in the halving of the fatality rate,” said HSA Chief Inspector Mark Cullen.

“However, every work-related death is preventable. Vigilance and advance planning around health and safety at work is crucial to lowering the number of deaths further,” he added.

The commemoration event will be addressed by Minister of State with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond.

“One death is one too many,” Mr Richmond said.

“Every workplace should prioritise the health and safety of its employees and do all in its power to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths,” he added.

Among those who gathered at today’s commemorative ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance were families who lost loved ones in work-related incidents.

Deirdre Bryne’s son James died when he was struck by a falling steel column at a shipping company in 2018.

“James was outgoing, funny and very jolly,” Ms Byrne said.

“He liked to have a joke and a laugh and would light up a room when walked into it,” she added.

James was working as a welder dismantling a metal structure when he was struck by the falling column.

“We got word to say that he had been in an accident. We didn’t know that he died but when we got to the hospital they told us he was gone,” Ms Byrne said.

She added that it was very emotional to attend today’s commemoration event.

“James had a partner, two kids, two brothers and two sisters. We all miss him and still grieve for him, it’s tough,” Ms Byrne said.

“I wouldn’t like to see another family go through what we have been through,” she added.

Trade union calls for extreme weather legislation

Meanwhile, the Unite trade union is calling for extreme weather legislation to climate-proof workplace health and safety.

To mark Workers’ Memorial Day, the union has released the results of a survey of more than 570 union members carried out following Storm Éowyn.

It shows that 55% of respondents did not feel safe travelling to and from work during the storm.

Of those who had to work outdoors on the day of the storm, over half of respondents did not feel their employer had taken all reasonable precautions to make work safe.

Unite’s proposals include an obligation on employers to conduct risk assessments during extreme weather events, cease all routine outdoor work during orange alerts and cease all non-essential work during red alerts, with workers continuing to be paid during such closures.

The union is also proposing four days of paid climate leave.

“Our survey exposes that many workers felt unsafe working and travelling during Storm Éowyn, while some employers even attempted to shift the financial cost of closure onto workers by insisting, they take a day’s leave,” said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.

“On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we are demanding that the Government climate-proof health and safety laws to ensure that workers’ lives and incomes are protected during extreme weather,” Ms Graham said.