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Security report for hsa.ie

Health and Safety Authority · Government · Ireland

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

66/100

Risk levelMedium

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the national government body responsible for workplace health and safety regulation and enforcement in Ireland. Established in 1989, it provides comprehensive guidance, education, and support to employers, employees, and various industry sectors to promote safe and healthy working environments. The website serves as a central resource hub with extensive information on legislation, safety topics, training, and compliance requirements. Technically, the website employs a modern technology stack including jQuery, Bootstrap, FontAwesome, and integrates Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel for analytics and marketing purposes. Hosting is provided by Hosting Ireland, and the domain is well-established with a long registration history. The site is mobile-optimized with good navigation and accessibility features, though some improvements in accessibility and security headers could be made. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with a good SSL configuration but lacks visible security headers and a published security or incident response policy. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is partially addressed with a cookie management system and consent mechanism, but no explicit privacy policy or terms of service were found in the provided content. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and serves its government regulatory function effectively. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing privacy and security policies, and adding vulnerability disclosure information to improve transparency and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  3. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching hsa.ie

This scan found 27 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

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Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
62
Security headers
25
Email security
75
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
66

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The HSA holds a strong market position as the authoritative government agency for workplace health and safety in Ireland. Its business model is regulatory and advisory, funded by the government, focusing on enforcement, education, and support services. The target audience includes employers, employees, industry stakeholders, and the general public. The website reflects a mature digital presence with extensive content and partnerships with related organizations such as INAB and BeSMART.ie. Growth indicators include ongoing updates to legislation and training resources. The partnership ecosystem includes government bodies and industry-specific safety initiatives, reinforcing its role as a central health and safety resource.

Security posture

The current security posture is moderate to good. HTTPS is enforced, and no critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. However, the absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security represents a gap. There is no visible incident response or security policy, nor a vulnerability disclosure program, which limits transparency and preparedness. The use of third-party analytics and tracking pixels is evident, which requires careful privacy management. Overall, the site is secure for general use but would benefit from enhanced security controls and published policies to align with best practices and regulatory compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  2. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service to improve transparency and GDPR compliance.
  3. Establish and publicize an incident response policy and contact channels for security issues.
  4. Add a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting of security issues.
  5. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Health and Safety Authority
Description
The Authority was established in 1989 under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989 and reports to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Key services
Health and safety regulation enforcement, Guidance and education on workplace safety, Accident and incident reporting, Training and certification, Consultation and support services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 2.1.4, Bootstrap CSS, FontAwesome, Chosen.js, Owl Carousel, Google Fonts (Open Sans), Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics (gtag.js), Facebook Pixel
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager and analytics scripts loaded asynchronously

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel
Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is a government authority site focused on workplace health and safety in Ireland.
  2. Content is comprehensive and well-structured with extensive topic coverage.
  3. No privacy policy or terms of service pages explicitly found in the provided content.
  4. Cookie management and consent mechanism is implemented.
  5. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found in the provided HTML snippet.
  6. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools is evident.
  7. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy detected.
  8. No security headers detected in the provided data; opportunity for improvement.
  9. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected; site is fully accessible.
  10. No adult or questionable content detected; content is safe for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a stable and modern technology stack featuring jQuery, Bootstrap, and FontAwesome, with additional UI enhancements via Chosen.js and Owl Carousel. It uses Google Fonts for typography and integrates Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel for analytics and marketing. Hosting is provided by Hosting Ireland, consistent with the domain registrar. Performance is moderate with asynchronous loading of analytics scripts. The site is mobile-optimized and has clear navigation and structure. There is no evidence of a common CMS, suggesting a custom or proprietary platform. Opportunities exist to improve accessibility and implement modern security headers to reduce technical risks.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

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