Irish Health & Safety Authority's inspectors conduct and style: supporting occupational safety and health compliance (Case IE3)

This case study explores the normative conduct of Health and Safety Authority (HSA) inspectors when visiting organisations to regulate occupational safety and health (OSH) compliance. It evidences how HSA inspectors promote OSH compliance and underlines the need for more research on this.

One important finding is that the observation of hazards by inspectors is the dominant factor used to assess safety in companies. Another important finding is that the standard of risk assessments encountered by inspectors varies greatly and tends to be linked to company size.