Tom Coughlan to chair HSA

Former chief executive of Clare County Council Tom Coughlan has been announced as the chairman designate of the board of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

Mr Coughlan who was council CEO from 2009 to 2016, is a board member of the Shannon Group PLC. In accordance with the Programme for a Partnership Government, Mr Coughlan is scheduled to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation prior to the confirmation of his appointment. This appearance will take place on Tuesday, April 11.

The announcement was made today (Friday) by Minister of State at the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation Pat Breen.

Three of the ordinary members, who were recruited to the board of the HSA via the Public Appointments Service (PAS) in 2014, have been re-appointed for a second three-year term. They have been joined by a new appointee, Ms Deirdre Cullivan.  Ms Cullivan was recruited through PAS and is a science graduate with senior level experience in human resources management in the phamaceutical  sector. She is currently a board member with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

Minister Breen said, “The principle aims of the Health and Safety Authority are to ensure that workers in Ireland and people affected by work return home safely to their families and that everyone is protected from the harmful effects of chemicals. It has developed regulatory strategies marked by accessibility and clarity rather than detailed instruction. The statutory mandate of the Authority – spanning more than 200 Acts, Regulations and Conventions – has enabled it to rely on the motivation of workers to be engaged in monitoring health and safety as well as the recognition by employers that safety must be managed in the same way as productive efficiency.”