He describes how Irish engineering and construction contractors who worked on the Intel manufacturing plant in Leixlip, Ireland continue those improved safety practices at other construction sites. Allan Cunningham, a safety professional from Northern Ireland, was typical of many at the Exhibition - he believes safety cultures in Ireland are shaped in this way by the standards set by US companies doing business in Ireland. However, there are some noteworthy differences in the official approach taken to safety and health at work. Peter O'Connell explained that since legislation was so recent, governments had the luxury of learning from the mistakes made by others. The European approach to occupational safety and health is focussed more on encouraging cooperation between employee and employer, rather than attempting to legislate safety.
Consultation begins with the election of safety representatives by employees.
Often, but not always, these safety representatives are also local union officers. The company and the employee representatives are jointly responsible for prevention programs, such as education, awareness, training, and suggestion systems. They collaborate on engineering, design, and process improvements as well as incident investigation and reporting. Together they write the required Safety Statement outlining the risks and hazards of the workplace. This simple statement also documents measures taken to prevent incidents and injuries, such as personal protective equipment and work procedures.