By Jason Kearns, Guardian Safety | Last updated: 26 October 2026
Between 2022 and 2024, 23 people went to work on construction jobs in Ireland and did not come home. On 20 October 2026 the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) published its Review of Construction Fatalities in the Republic of Ireland 2022–2024, which looks at how and where those deaths happened.
Most of the deaths didn't happen on large commercial sites. Nineteen of the 23 (83%) happened on sites with between one and four workers, and five people were working alone. Many were short jobs: repairs, maintenance, re-roofing a shed or working on a single house. Falls from height accounted for 15 of the deaths. The people who died were experienced, too. All were men, 87% were aged between 35 and 64, and ten were self-employed.
The HSA's message is that "employers, self-employed workers and those responsible for construction projects must make sure that risks are properly assessed, that work is planned safely and that the right protections are in place before work begins." This article sets out what the review found, why small sites and short jobs carry so much of the risk, and what managing safety properly looks like in practice, whatever the size of the job.
Key takeaways - 23 construction deaths in Ireland from 2022 to 2024: 7 in 2022, 11 in 2023 and 5 in 2024. - 15 (65%) were falls from height. Being struck by plant or machinery caused another 5 (22%). - 19 of 23 (83%) happened on sites with 1–4 workers. None happened on sites with 60 or more workers. - 87% of those who died were aged 35–64. Experience on its own doesn't protect anyone. - 10 (43%) were self-employed, which is half of all the worker deaths. - PSDP and PSCS appointments were legally required on 16 projects, but were in place on only 4. - 6 of the 20 workers who needed a valid Safe Pass card didn't have one. - The size of the job doesn't change the law. Risk assessment, planning, competent people and the right equipment apply to every job.
In this article: - What the HSA review found - Small sites and short jobs: where the risk is highest - Experience is not a safety control - Managing safety properly: the five essentials - The real cost of cutting corners - Practical checklist - FAQs - How Guardian Safety can help
What the HSA review found
The HSA based the review on its own fatal incident investigations, together with supplementary data from the Central Statistics Office.
| Measure (2022–2024) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Construction-related deaths | 23 (2022: 7, 2023: 11, 2024: 5) |
| Falls from height | 15 (65%) |
| Struck by plant or machinery | 5 (22%) |
| Other causes | 1 electric shock, 1 struck by a falling object, 1 explosive misfire |
| Deaths on sites with 1–4 workers | 19 (83%), including 5 lone workers |
| Deaths on sites with 5–19 / 20–59 / 60+ workers | 2 / 2 / 0 |
| Aged 35–64 | 20 (87%) |
| Self-employed | 10 (43%). There were also 10 employees and 3 non-workers |
| Construction work on farms | 5 |
| Single-house upkeep, repair and maintenance | 5 |
| Housing projects (single house / multiple units) | 4 / 3 |
| Commercial upkeep, repair and maintenance | 3 |
| Civil engineering / other | 2 / 1 |
Source: HSA, Review of Construction Fatalities in the Republic of Ireland 2022–2024.
The deaths haven't stopped. The HSA's provisional figures (updated 23 October 2026) record 8 construction deaths so far in 2026, after 11 in 2025.
Small sites and short jobs: where the risk is highest
According to the review, the greatest risk of a fatal injury in construction is concentrated on small projects involving one to four workers, especially upkeep, repair and maintenance work on homes and farms. Five people died doing construction work on farms and five during repair or maintenance on a single house.
Large sites usually have a full-time safety function, written plans, inductions and someone checking the work. On a two-day roof repair or a quick job on a shed, it's easy to assume that none of that applies. It does apply. In law, construction work includes the repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance of a structure, not just new builds (Regulation 2, Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, S.I. No. 291 of 2013, as amended). The HSA put it plainly to farmers in its October 2026 working-at-height campaign: "Maintenance of a structure is considered 'construction work' and the extensive legal requirements for construction work must be complied with."
The review also found that the management failures were concentrated on these small sites. Missing project supervisor appointments, missing Safe Pass cards and missing CSCS cards were mainly found on sites with 1–4 workers. Farms bear much of this risk. Over 2016–2025, 21 of the 177 people who died on Irish farms died in falls from height, and two of the construction deaths in the review involved roof work on agricultural sheds where the worker didn't hold the required CSCS card.
Experience is not a safety control
Nobody aged 18–24 died. Twenty of the 23 people who died (87%) were aged 35–64, and 96% were over 35. The HSA notes that this "contrasts with the common perception that young and inexperienced workers are at the greatest risk."
The review doesn't say why older workers are more affected, and we won't guess. The practical lesson is that years in the trade are no substitute for planning the job, assessing the risk and using the right equipment. Refresher training and supervision matter for experienced people too. Under section 10 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers must provide instruction, training and supervision suited to the work, whatever the worker's age or experience.
It also matters that 10 of the 23 people who died were self-employed. Section 7 of the 2005 Act applies health and safety law to a self-employed person "as if that self-employed person was an employer and his or her own employee". A sole trader carries the same duties to plan and assess their own work, often with nobody else on the job to say "stop, this isn't safe".
Managing safety properly: the five essentials
Safety on a small job doesn't need a filing cabinet of paperwork. It does need to be managed: thought through before work starts, with the right people, equipment and training in place. These are the five areas the review and the law keep returning to.
1. Plan the job and assess the risk
Every employer, and every self-employed person, must identify the hazards, assess the risks and have a written risk assessment (section 19, 2005 Act), along with a safety statement based on it (section 20). Under section 20(8), employers with three or fewer employees can meet the safety statement duty by following a relevant HSA code of practice, and the HSA has issued codes for sectors including construction and agriculture. The HSA is clear that a risk assessment must always be prepared.
For a small job, that means spending a few minutes before you start to think about how people get up and down, what could give way, where the edges and fragile sheets are, what plant is moving nearby, where the power lines and services run, and how you would rescue someone if something went wrong.
2. Use competent people and make the required appointments
Anyone who has construction work done is a client under the Construction Regulations. That includes a homeowner who pays for work on their own home (DIY isn't covered) and a farmer who brings in a contractor. A client must:
- appoint only competent, adequately resourced designers, contractors and project supervisors (Regulation 7, and Regulation 6(7) for domestic dwellings);
- appoint a PSDP and a PSCS in writing where the work involves a particular risk (the Schedule 1 list includes falling from a height where the risk is "particularly aggravated" by the nature of the work or the site), where more than one contractor is involved, or where the project must be notified to the HSA (Regulation 6). The PSDP is the Project Supervisor for the Design Process and the PSCS is the Project Supervisor for the Construction Stage, and one competent person can hold both roles;
- notify the HSA on form AF1 if the work is planned to last more than 30 working days or more than 500 person-days (Regulation 10). The PSCS then notifies the HSA on form AF2 before work begins (Regulation 22).
This is where the review found the biggest management gap. Appointments were required on 16 of the projects where someone died, but both were in place on only 4 (25%). On 11 of the 16 (69%), the designer hadn't told the client about the duty to appoint. The required appointments were missing on all 5 farm projects and on 4 single-house projects. A contractor who isn't aware of any appointments must promptly tell the client about the client's duties (Regulation 24(2)). The HSA plans to inspect 50 design practices in 2027 and to publish guidance for designers in early 2027. For farmers, the HSA has published How to Make Construction Appointments for your Farm.
3. Use the right equipment for work at height
Falls from height caused 15 of the 23 deaths. Part 4 of the General Application Regulations 2007 (Regulations 94–119) sets out a clear order of priorities:
- avoid working at height where the work can reasonably be done another way (Reg. 98);
- where you can't avoid it, make sure the work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely, with a plan for emergencies and rescue (Reg. 95);
- choose the right equipment, giving collective protection such as guard-rails and working platforms priority over personal fall protection (Reg. 100);
- use a ladder only where the risk assessment shows better equipment isn't justified because the risk is low and the job is short, or because features of the place of work can't be altered (Reg. 114);
- never pass across, or work on or near, a fragile surface such as an old roof sheet or rooflight without suitable platforms, coverings or guard-rails (Reg. 115).
4. Make sure the training is in place
Craft and general construction workers on a construction site must hold a valid SOLAS Safe Pass card. The card is valid for four years (Schedule 4, as amended by S.I. No. 129 of 2019). Specialist tasks such as scaffolding, operating plant and roof and wall cladding/sheeting also need a CSCS card (Schedule 5). Contractors must check workers' cards on their first day on site (Regulation 25). In the review, 6 of the 20 workers who needed a Safe Pass didn't have one, and 2 of the 6 who needed a CSCS card didn't have one.
Safe Pass is the minimum level of safety awareness. It doesn't replace job-specific instruction, supervision and training for the particular risks of a task.
5. Supervise, check and be willing to stop
Plans only work if someone makes sure they're followed. The guard-rail has to be fitted, the platform has to be used instead of the ladder, and the fragile sheet has to be covered. On a site with one to four people, that responsibility often falls on the owner of the business or on the self-employed worker. Lone workers are especially exposed, and five of the people who died were working alone.
The real cost of cutting corners
Corners usually get cut for understandable reasons: the weather is closing in, the customer wants the job finished, hiring a MEWP costs money, or the job "will only take an hour". The HSA said at the start of its farm campaign: "It is quite often the quick job that catches people out."
The review's findings show where that leads. The deaths were concentrated on small, short jobs, where project supervisor appointments hadn't been made and some workers lacked mandatory training. A scaffold tower, an extra day's hire or a phone call to appoint a project supervisor costs far less than a death, a serious injury, an HSA investigation or a prosecution, and the cost to a family can't be measured. Planning the job properly, with the right people and the right equipment, is what prevents deaths.
Practical checklist: before any small construction job starts
If you're a small builder or self-employed tradesperson - ☐ Do you have a written risk assessment for this job, and a safety statement (or the relevant HSA code of practice if you employ three or fewer)? - ☐ Have you planned any work at height? Can it be done from the ground? If not, have you chosen a platform, tower or MEWP over a ladder, and planned edge protection and rescue? - ☐ Have you checked the roof for fragile sheets and rooflights and planned how you'll cover or protect them? - ☐ Does everyone on site have a valid Safe Pass card, and a CSCS card for tasks such as roof cladding/sheeting, scaffolding or plant operation? - ☐ If the client needs a PSDP or PSCS, have you told them? (Regulation 24(2) requires this if you're not aware of any appointments.) - ☐ Have you planned for overhead power lines, buried services and moving plant? - ☐ If you're working alone, does someone know where you are and when to expect you?
If you're a farmer - ☐ Treat shed repairs, re-roofing and cladding as construction work, because in law they are. - ☐ Use the HSA's Working at Height in Agriculture information sheet and risk assessment before anyone goes up. - ☐ If you're bringing in a contractor, check their competence and their CSCS card for cladding work, and follow the HSA's How to Make Construction Appointments for your Farm guidance. - ☐ Never stand on fragile roof sheets or climb stacked bales. Use a MEWP or a proper working platform.
If you're a homeowner hiring a contractor - ☐ Check competence: references, insurance, Safe Pass and CSCS cards, and their safety statement. - ☐ Is there more than one contractor, a particular risk such as work at height, or a long job? If so, appoint a PSDP and PSCS in writing. - ☐ Will the job last more than 30 working days or 500 person-days? If so, send an AF1 to the HSA. - ☐ Keep children and family members away from the work area, and keep the safety file you receive at the end.
Frequently asked questions
What did the HSA's review of construction fatalities 2022–2024 find?
The HSA recorded 23 construction-related deaths in Ireland between 2022 and 2024. Fifteen were falls from height, 19 happened on sites with 1–4 workers, 87% of those who died were aged 35–64, and 10 were self-employed.
Why are small construction sites so dangerous?
The review found that deaths, missing project supervisor appointments and missing mandatory training were all concentrated on sites with 1–4 workers, especially repair and maintenance work on homes and farms. Short jobs on small sites are often done without the planning, equipment and supervision that larger sites have in place.
What should a small contractor have in place before starting a job?
A written risk assessment and a safety statement (or the relevant HSA code of practice if they employ three or fewer people), a plan for any work at height using the right equipment, valid Safe Pass and CSCS cards where required, and confirmation that the client has made any required PSDP and PSCS appointments.
When do I need to appoint a PSDP and PSCS?
Under Regulation 6 of the Construction Regulations 2013, a client must appoint both in writing where the work involves a particular risk (such as an aggravated risk of falling from height), more than one contractor is involved, or the project must be notified to the HSA. This applies to homeowners who pay for work on their home, and to farmers.
When must a construction project be notified to the HSA?
When the work is planned to last more than 30 working days or the volume of work is more than 500 person-days. The client notifies on form AF1 (Regulation 10) and the PSCS notifies on form AF2 before work starts (Regulation 22).
Is repairing a farm shed roof treated as construction work?
Yes. Construction work includes the repair, upkeep and maintenance of a structure, and the HSA has confirmed that maintenance is construction work. Roof and wall cladding/sheeting also needs a CSCS card.
How long is a Safe Pass card valid?
A SOLAS Safe Pass card is valid for four years from the date you complete the programme, under Schedule 4 of the Construction Regulations as amended in 2019. Craft and general construction workers on a construction site must hold a valid card.
How Guardian Safety can help
The review points to the same lesson again and again: most of these deaths happened on small jobs, to experienced people, where the work hadn't been properly planned and managed. Since 2005, Guardian Safety has spent 21 years helping Irish employers, the self-employed and farm businesses put practical, proportionate safety management in place.
Training (online, at your own pace, with a certificate at the end): - Health and Safety at Work: covers key legislation, legal responsibilities, common hazards, basic risk assessment and control measures, in about two hours. It's a good foundation for small contractors, their staff and farm workers. (It's general awareness training, so it doesn't replace task-specific training for higher-risk work such as working at height.) - Manual Handling Theory Course (Irish Law): covers Irish manual handling law, spotting hazardous lifting tasks, injury prevention and safe lifting principles, which matters for anyone moving blocks, sheeting and materials on site. See all our manual handling courses. - Fire Safety Training: covers the common causes of fire, fire prevention, the classes of fire and how to choose and use the right extinguisher. That's useful on any site with hot works, fuels or temporary accommodation. Browse our fire safety courses.
You'll find the full range on our Health and Safety Courses page.
Health and safety support: if you're not sure whether your safety statement and risk assessments would stand up to an HSA inspection, or whether your project needs a PSDP and PSCS, talk to us. We can review your documents and help you put a workable system in place. We also service fire extinguishers.
Please note: Safe Pass and CSCS cards are issued by SOLAS through its approved training providers.
Contact Guardian Safety today to talk about training or support for your business, farm or site.
Sources: Health and Safety Authority, Review of Construction Fatalities in the Republic of Ireland 2022–2024 (October 2026) and press release, 20 October 2026; HSA Fatal Injury statistics (provisional, updated 23 October 2026); HSA farm working-at-height campaign press release, 4 October 2026; Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005; S.I. No. 291 of 2013 and S.I. No. 129 of 2019; S.I. No. 299 of 2007; HSA Guide for Homeowners. This article is general guidance, not legal advice.