asked the Minister for Labour if he is satisfied with the operation of the Safety in Industry Act, 1980; if he is satisfied that there is sufficient staffing in the inspectorate to ensure enforcement of the Act; if he will consider amending the Act so that employers would be obliged to act upon recommendations of safety committees rather than just consider them as at present; if he will comment on the view of many safety committees that this Act is just a toothless watchdog; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Safety in Industry Act.
14.
The Safety in Industry Act, 1980, together with the Factories Act, 1955, which it amends substantially, and the regulations made under both Acts, provide a framework for the protection of persons employed in the industrial sector. However, there are a number of deficiencies in our occupational safety and health system which were identified by the Barrington Commission of Inquiry on Safety, Health and Welfare at Work. These include the relatively limited scope of the present law, the lack of a comprehensive overall preventive approach to safety and health and an excessive reliance on specific provisions relating to specific hazards or risks. Accordingly, I am having a Bill prepared for early introduction in the Oireachtas giving effect to the main recommendations of the Barrington commission which will apply to all employers, all employees and the selfemployed.
There are increased demands on my Department's industrial inspectorate due to the enforcement of domestic safety legislation and the development, implementation and enforcement of relevant EC Council Directives. I have provided for some extra posts, for which recruitment is proceeding and the inspectorate is reorganising its workload to give more attention to priority areas such as occupational hygiene, noise, radiation hazards, mining, ergonomics, electrical equipment, fire prevention, major hazard risks and the conveyance of dangerous substances.
The present safety committee system has, I believe, helped to develop a greater awareness in workers of the hazards and possible risks to which they may be exposed at work. My proposals for new legislation will include new mechanisms for the involvement of employees along lines advocated by the Barrington commission. These will give the Oireachtas an opportunity to debate and decide on such provisions as would appear most effective in the future.