New Health & Safety Legislation for Workplaces

Mar 04, 2016

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 36 of 2016)

These Regulations shall come into operation from 1 July, 2016

The purpose of the Regulations is to bring specific workplace safety matters relating to Woodworking Machines, Abrasive Wheels and Abrasive Blasting of Surfaces within the scope of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 following the repeal of corresponding Regulations made under the Factories Act 1955, as amended by the Safety in Industry Act 1980.

The Regulations are designed to retain, by means of amendments to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007, the aspects of the provisions of Regulations under the Factories Act that remain relevant and are therefore reproduced in line with the new legislative format.

These Regulations amend the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007) as previously amended by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 732 of 2007), the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)(Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 176 of 2010) and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application)(Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 445 of 2012) by inserting Part 11 (Woodworking Machines), Part 12 (Abrasive Wheels) and Part 13 (Abrasive Blasting of Surfaces) as well as adding Schedule 13 (Woodworking Machines) and Schedule 14 (Training and Instruction) to the Regulations. The collective Regulations shall be cited together as the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2016.

These Regulations revoke and replace 3 individual sets of Regulations:

• Factories (Woodworking Machinery) Regulations, 1972. (S.I. No. 203 of 1972),
• Factories (Abrasive Blasting Of Surfaces) Regulations, 1974. (S.I. No. 357 of 1974), and
• Safety in Industry (Abrasive Wheels) Regulations, 1982. (S.I. No. 30 of 1982).

For more information from the Health & Safety Authority, please click here.

To access the new legislation document, please click here.