Health and Safety Benefit

Rules

To get Health and Safety Benefit you must:

• Be a pregnant employee in Ireland who is exposed to certain risks in the workplace or be a nightworker (that is, you must spend at least 3 hours or 25% of your work between 11pm and 6am) or
• Have given birth in the last 16 weeks and be involved in nightwork or
• Be breastfeeding (up to 26 weeks after the birth) and exposed to certain risks in the workplace. The Health and Safety Authority provides full details of what these risks (pdf) are.

  You must also meet the following PRSI conditions:

1. Have at least 13 weeks social insurance (PRSI) paid in the 12 months immediately before the date your baby is due or
2. Have 52 weeks paid since you first started work and 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 of the contributions in the relevant tax year or certain other periods must be paid contributions) or
3. Have 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year prior to the relevant tax year

The relevant tax year is the second last complete tax year before you claim Health and Safety Benefit. For example, for claims made in 2012 the relevant tax year will be 2010.

How long is Health and Safety Benefit paid?

Health and Safety Benefit lasts until:

• The day you become entitled for Maternity Benefit, if you are pregnant
• 16 weeks from the date on which you gave birth, if you are an employee who has recently given birth and do nightwork
• 26 weeks from the date on which you gave birth, if you are breastfeeding

You stop getting Health and Safety Benefit if your health and safety leave ends because:

• You are no longer at risk in the workplace or
• Your employer has removed the risk or given you other work or
• You are employed on a fixed-term contract and that contract expires.