Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland invites views on future workplace safety priorities

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has launched (8 August) an eight-week public consultation process on proposals for inclusion in its next Corporate Plan for the period 2023-2028. The plan will set out the operational environment in which the organisation will be working along with its priorities in the coming years.

HSENI will continue to work in partnership with employers, employees, trade unions and other health and safety partners across Northern Ireland to reduce the number of fatal and serious injuries in the workplace.

HSENI has set out the priorities for those work sectors it has enforcement responsibility for and is encouraging those involved in each sector to review and comment on the health and safety priorities relating to them.

HSENI Chief Executive Robert Kidd said: “Over the next five years, working in partnership with industry we aim to reduce work-related serious injury and ill health in Northern Ireland.

“Working together I am confident we can make the workplace safer for everyone, whether that workplace is on a building site, in a factory, on a farm or other place of employment, together we can make a positive difference.”

In the next corporate plan HSENI proposes to develop overarching workplace themes in three of the five years to focus on specific work activities which will have been identified to be a cause of fatalities, serious injury or ill health. The themed work will be in addition to the wide range of activities HSENI undertakes across all business sectors.

The focus in 2023, in year one of the plan, has been identified as workplace transport safety. Subsequent themes for years three and five will be chosen and developed based on statistical evidence and will recognise emerging issues and trends. HSENI intends to use a number of methods to raise awareness in each of the specific area, including information events, campaign advertising and planned and unannounced site inspections.

Robert Kidd added: “I would encourage everyone to take some time to read about our proposals and to become involved in a process that could literally help save lives.”

The proposals for inclusion in our draft Corporate Plan 2023-2028 are available online at:

• Consultation exercise on the main proposals for inclusion in HSENI’s next Corporate Plan (2023 – 2028) - NI Direct - Citizen Space

The consultation period is open until 10 October 2022.

Notes to editors: 

1. The HSENI Consultation document which included details of the business sectors and specific health and safety risks associated with them can be found at https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/dfe/consultation-exercise-on-the-main-proposals-for-in/
2. For media enquiries please contact: HSENI Press Office on 028 9024 3249 or email media@hseni.gov.uk. For out of office hours please contact the Duty Officer on 028 9037 8110.

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