New regulations for the construction industry are to come into effect on November 6th.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006, introduced by Minister for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen in Dublin yesterday, are designed to reduce the high rate of deaths and injuries in the sector.
More construction workers die than in any other sector except agriculture - 128 people have lost their lives since 2000.
In 2005, 23 people died following accidents on construction sites, while nine people have lost their lives so far this year. Foreign workers are three times more likely to be killed in accidents than their Irish counterparts.
The new regulations place obligations on clients and designers to ensure that safety and health are taken into account before construction work begins. Designers must inform clients of the requirement for a project supervisor for the design process, and clients and project supervisors must co-operate. Safety advisers are required to be in place during construction where more than 100 people are at work on a site.
Over 13,000 construction workers were injured in accidents last year and the Health and Safety Authority recorded the injury rate for the construction sector at 54 per 1,000 people in 2004. The average across industry is 30.1.
"Last year's figures were extremely disappointing and quite worrying," said Mr Killeen. "The indications for this year are considerably better, though still a cause for considerable concern."