Psychological Fitness for Duty and Risk Assessment in Ireland: Changes to Occupational Health and Safety Regulations in Europe are Making It Easier for Irish Employers to Assess the Fitness of, And Risks Posed by, Workers

In March 2000, European Union (EU) heads of state agreed on an ambitious goal: to make the EU "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion." (1) Subsequently, the Lisbon Agenda, named after a 2005 summit held in Portugal, called for high-level integration of social and economic policy to strengthen the EU's capacity to promote entrepreneurship and acquire reformation society technologies. The European Commission has encouraged EU member states to develop strategies in line with the Lisbon Agenda that will support the psychological needs of workforces that are facing increased business competition while growing ever more culturally and racially diverse. Under Ireland's Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act of 2005, which in some ways mirrors the Lisbon Agenda, employers have a "duty of care" to their employees. This duty requires preventing exposure to a wide range of psychological stressors, including critical incident stress (arising from industrial accidents, fires, and explosions) and workplace violence (including assaults, workplace bullying, and intoxicants).