Cyprus’ Department of Labour Inspection is considering legislative changes to increase workplace safety penalties, amid concerns that existing fines are inadequate.
Acting Director Tasoula Kyprianidou told the Cyprus News Agency that court-imposed fines did not sufficiently reflect the consequences of fatal workplace accidents.
She said the department was examining increases to both out-of-court fines and penalties provided for in legislation.
According to the figures she provided, seven fatal workplace accidents were recorded in 2025, while five people had died in accidents at work in 2026 by the time of the interview.
Kyprianidou said the department’s ambition remained zero accidents, guided by the Vision Zero principle.
Construction, manufacturing and hotels
The department recorded 1,276 workplace accidents in 2025 that left employees unable to work for more than three days.
Construction accounted for 230 cases, or 18% of the total. Manufacturing followed with 226 cases, while the hotel industry recorded 223.
Despite the continuing fatalities, Kyprianidou said the longer-term figures showed improvement.
Between 2014 and 2025, the accident rate fell by 48.4%, while the number of recorded accidents declined by 21.1%. Compared with 2024, the respective reductions in 2025 were 7.2% and 3.7%.
Inspections and training
Inspectors carried out 4,871 inspections in 2025, issuing 390 prohibition notices, 166 improvement notices and 178 out-of-court fines.
Construction sites accounted for 3,203 inspections, approximately two-thirds of the total.
Kyprianidou also highlighted the role of training, saying around 7,500 construction workers had completed the voluntary SAFEPASS programme against a target of 15,000.
An agreement has been reached with the Human Resource Development Authority to continue the programme. A working group will assess its future and recommend steps towards making participation compulsory.
Mental health at work
The comments came ahead of Safety and Health at Work Week, beginning on Monday, 19 October.
This year’s activities focus on mental health, alongside Cyprus’ participation in EU-OSHA’s 2026–2028 campaign, “Together for mental health at work”.
A ceremony in Nicosia is scheduled to launch the national campaign activities and awareness week.
Source: Cyprus News Agency (CNA)
