General Application Regulations 2007 to 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

• What does the term ‘General Application’ mean?
• Who do these Regulations apply to?
• What areas are covered under these Regulations?

What does the term ‘General Application’ mean?

The term ‘general application’ in the title of these Regulations is intended to convey the message that the various Parts and Chapters of the Regulations apply to all employments, as does the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. As such, the Regulations are designed to simplify the task for employers and workers of locating and identifying the safety and health duties which apply to them. The Regulations were first introduced in 2007 under Statutory Instrument Number S.I. No. 299 of 2007, which was amended by:

• S.I. No. 732 of 2007,
• S.I. No. 176 of 2010,
• S.I. No. 445 of 2012,
• S.I. No. 36 of 2016,
• S.I. No. 70 of 2016,
• S.I. No. 370 of 2016, and
• S.I. No. 2 of 2020.

Together all these Regulations are known as the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2020 and are available to download from the Irish Statute Book.

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Who do these Regulations apply to?

The Regulations place obligations as regards safety and health on employers, employees and others who are connected to work activities for example, landlords who supply a workplace for use by others, work equipment and chemical suppliers. They apply to all workplaces where work is going on. They lay down a basis for managing safety and health and ensure that employers consult with employees on safety and health matters and others, provide a safe workplace for use, safe equipment etc.

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What areas are covered under these Regulations?

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2020 contain the following parts:

Part 2 - Workplace and Use of Work Equipment
Chapter 1 – Workplace
Chapter 2 – Use of Work Equipment
Chapter 3 – Personal Protective Equipment
Chapter 4 – Manual Handling of Loads
Chapter 5 – Display Screen Equipment

Part 3– Electricity
Part 4 - Work at Height
Part 5 - Physical Agents

Chapter 1 - Control of Noise at Work
Chapter 2 - Control of Vibration at Work

Part 6 - Sensitive Risk Groups

Chapter 1 - Protection of Children and Young Persons
Chapter 2 - Protection of Pregnant, Post Natal and Breastfeeding Employees
Chapter 3 - Night Work and Shift work

Part 7 – Safety Signs and First-Aid
Chapter 1 - Safety Signs at Places of Work
Chapter 2 – First-Aid

Part 8 - Explosive Atmospheres at Places of Work

Part 9 - Control of Artificial Radiation at Work

Part 10 - Pressure Systems

Part 11 - Woodworking Machines

Part 12 - Abrasive Wheels

Part 13 - Abrasive Blasting of Surfaces

Part 14 - Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences

Schedule 1 - Requirements for Work Equipment
Schedule 2 - Personal Protective Equipment
Schedule 3 - Risk Factors for Manual Handling of Loads
Schedule 4 - Minimum Requirements for all Display Screen Equipment Schedule 5 – Inspection of Work Equipment
Schedule 6 - Hand-Arm Vibration and Whole-Body Vibration
Schedule 7 - Protection of Children and Young Persons
Schedule 8 - Lists of Agents, Processes and Working Conditions Relating to Pregnant, Post Natal and Breastfeeding Employees
Schedule 9 - Safety and Health Signs at Work
Schedule 10 - Explosive Atmospheres
Schedule 11 - Artificial Optical Radiation (2010 Amendment)
Schedule 12 - Pressure Systems (2012 Amendment)
Schedule 13 - Woodworking Machines (S.I. No. 36 of 2016)
Schedule 14 - Training and Instruction (S.I. No. 36 of 2016)
Schedule 15 - Dangerous Occurrences (S.I. No. 370 of 2016)

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