The Health and Safety Authority expects to increase its number of workplace inspections by 30 per cent and to recruit an extra 44 staff this year, it was announced yesterday.
The authority's chief executive, Mr Tom Beegan, said it expected to conduct up to 14,000 frontline inspections in 2005.
Mr Beegan was announcing details of a new local campaign to carry out 350 inspections in the Cork area, following the deaths of four men in workplace-related accidents in the city and county last month.
The HSA confirmed also it was beginning an investigation into a building accident yesterday, in which two men sustained back and leg injuries when scaffolding collapsed.
The men were installing protective glass on stained-glass windows at Dromagh Church, near Kanturk in north Cork, when the accident happened.
Mr Beegan said one person more died in the first month of this year in workplace accidents in Cork than throughout 2004.
"That can't be allowed to continue," said Mr Beegan, adding that in addition to enforcement the campaign will also focus on education.
Ten inspectors will target companies in the construction, quarrying, agriculture, transport and manufacturing sectors in Cork this month to highlight the need for greater safety awareness.
Mr Beegan said one reason workplace accidents occurred was because people were becoming complacent - they did not believe it would happen to them.
"Regrettably, last year 50 people didn't believe it would happen to them and they're no longer with us."
Mr Beegan said 50 fatalities a year was unacceptable, despite EU statistics showing a 15 per cent decrease in work-related injuries and illnesses in Ireland since 1999.
He revealed the HSA would be working closely with larger companies which subcontract work to smaller firms, to impress upon them the need to ensure their subcontractors are using proper safety management systems.
The planned 30 per cent increase in inspections comes as the HSA received a 12 per cent increase in Government funding to some €14 million for 2005.
Mr Beegan said work days lost due to injury and illness from work costs the economy over €1.6 billion annually. Any companies cutting corners on safety were making false economies, he warned, which could prove costly to them.
Mr Beegan welcomed the introduction of health and safety legislation later this year, which will allow for fines of up to €3 million. He also expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the courts were dealing with breaches of health and safety legislation.
"What we notice over the last couple of years is a very significant increase in the number of fines that have been imposed."