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The CIF today launched its 2026 Construction Safety Campaign, its flagship annual initiative to help protect the safety, health and welfare of workers in the industry.
Running across two weeks from 12th to 23rd October, the 2026 campaign theme is ‘Back to Basics’, an intentional repeat of last year’s theme to highlight the need for continued industry-wide efforts to prevent accidents on construction sites.
According to figures from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which records work-related deaths in Ireland, eight construction-related fatalities have occurred so far in 2026, which represent 40 per cent of the total number of recorded work-related fatalities this year to date. The 2026 figure is year-to-date only, compared with 11 construction-related fatalities in all of 2025 and five in all of 2024.
Announcing the launch of this year’s Construction Safety Campaign, John Egan, executive for safety, health and skills at the CIF, said:
“So far this year, eight work-related deaths in Ireland were construction-related, accounting for 40% of all work-related deaths in 2026 to date. While this is lower than the 11 construction-related deaths recorded across the full year in 2025, it is already higher than the five recorded in 2024. Falls from height remain a significant contributor to construction-related fatalities while incidents involving mobile plant and equipment are becoming more significant. Behind every fatality is a human tragedy, affecting not only the individual but also the family, friends and colleagues whose lives are forever changed.
“Safety requires continuous vigilance, learning and improvement, regardless of a worker’s experience, role or seniority. Repeating ‘Back to Basics’ in 2026 reinforces the importance of good planning, risk assessment, supervision, communication, training and worker engagement in preventing accidents.
“During the campaign, we are encouraging companies to review their safety management systems and ensure workers’ health and wellbeing receive the same priority as safety.”
More fatalities among experienced workers and on smaller construction sites
Recent analysis of 2022–2024 data by the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee found that 95% of construction fatalities over this period involved experienced workers aged 35 and over, with 86% involving workers aged 35–64.
The analysis also found that 82% of reported fatalities occurred on sites employing four or fewer workers, compared with 9% on sites employing 20 or more.
John Egan said: “These findings underline that no worker or site is immune to risk. Continued vigilance, effective project supervision and adherence to safe systems of work are essential, regardless of experience or project size.
“While the campaign runs for two weeks, our commitment to safety must continue throughout the year. We encourage construction companies to take part, review their safety practices and engage with their teams to strengthen safety culture across the industry. By consistently applying the fundamentals, we can help ensure everyone returns home safely at the end of the working day.”
CIF’s 2026 Construction Safety Campaign is supported by headline sponsors JJ Rhatigan & Co, PJ Hegarty & Sons, Walls Construction, BAM, Suir Engineering, Murphy Ireland Ltd., Bennett Construction, Dornan, Collen Construction, John Paul Construction, SISK, Jones Engineering, with supporting sponsors Cairn, Kirby, Castlethorn, Arachas, Winthrop Technologies and GMC.
The Construction Workers Health Trust (CWHT) is the charity partner for the CIF Construction Safety Campaign 2026, with SIPTU on board as a campaign partner.
CIF’s 2026 Construction Safety Campaign incorporates the European Week for Safety and Health at Work from 19-24th October.
For more information on CIF’s 2026 Construction Safety Campaign, visit cif.ie/safetycampaign/.