A leading lawyer whose work has influenced the development of the health and safety legislation framework in Ireland has been named the IOSH Ireland Person of the Year.
Raymond Byrne (right) has been teaching and writing about safety and health law for more than 20 years and was instrumental in the drafting of, among other things, Ireland’s Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
Receiving his award from the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton at a ceremony in Dublin yesterday (26 October), Mr Byrne said: “It’s a great honour to know that the many members of IOSH believe that you have made a difference to an area that is so important for the 1.8 million people at work in Ireland. The Institution does great work and I’m happy to be able to play some part in the ongoing goal of preventing workplace accidents and ill health.”
Minister Bruton said: “A lot of good work has been done in recent years to reduce the unacceptably high number of deaths every year in Irish workplaces, but more must be done. Everyone with an interest in workplace safety – including employers, workers and government, through to the Health and Safety Authority, professional organisations like IOSH and experts like Raymond Byrne – has an important role to play in building on the achievements so far, and I urge them to continue working hard in close cooperation with each other to reduce workplace fatalities.”
IOSH Ireland Branch chair Declan Gibney praised the work of experts like Mr Byrne, whose fresh outlook on health and safety does great work in improving it from a different perspective.
“Raymond’s championing of the safety, health and welfare cause has made a big difference over the years. His authoritative, knowledgeable voice has had a very positive impact on our profession and without the effort and hard work of people like him, Ireland would not be in the strong position it is today to build on its health and safety record.”
Raymond Byrne is the author of leading textbook, Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Law in Ireland and co-founded a postgraduate master’s programme in safety and health at Dublin City University.
The IOSH Ireland Person of the Year award was established three years ago to recognise significant, outstanding and sustained contributions to occupational safety and health in Ireland, over and above the norm.
