The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is a Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 non-departmental public body

Non-departmental public body

In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...

 sponsored by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...

. It is responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of occupational health and safety in Northern Ireland. Its functions are similar to those of the Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...

 in the rest of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

It was founded as the Health and Safety Agency for Northern Ireland when the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 were extended to the province in 1978. It was renamed Executive in 1998.