A new health and safety at work Act comes into effect today with additional responsibilities for employees and employers.
From today, penalties of up to €3 million and two years in jail could be imposed on those who fail to comply with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which will be enforcing the Act, has been engaged in an information campaign to highlight the new legislation and make people aware of their obligations.
"We are determined that everybody, whether employees or employers, puts safety in the workplace as their top priority," said a HSA spokesman.
He added that regulations were being drafted in relation to certain aspects of the Act, including drug testing, on-the-spot fines and a code of practice for businesses with three employees or less. He said these would be made law within months.
"The testing for intoxicants will only take place in areas of critical importance. So if you're sitting at a desk all day, it is highly- unlikely that you'll be tested, whereas pilots and other jobs like that are much more likely," the spokesman said.
Minister of State with particular responsibility for labour, Tony Killeen said that "this Act is a serious wake-up call to employers who don't do enough to prevent accidents at their places of employment".
He added that "workers also have a duty not to endanger themselves or others and to be alert to dangerous situations".
Meanwhile, the Irish Advanced Motorists (IAM) welcomed the Act as a "modernisation of Ireland's occupational health and safety laws".