The reason Ireland has not ratified ILO Convention 13 of 1921 is that the existing legislative provisions in force provide more comprehensive protection than is provided in the Convention, which is narrowly based and is now out-dated. The Convention relates only to the protection of workers from exposure to two compounds of lead, while the provisions contained in current legislation, notably the general requirements of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, the detailed regulations giving effect to the EC Directive on lead, and a range of separate regulations under the Safety in Industry Acts, 1955 and 1980, protect workers against all compounds of lead.
I am advised by the Health and Safety Authority that the existing legislative provisions, both EC and national, provide adequate protection for all workers exposed to lead at work, and that ratification of the 1921 Convention would have no positive benefit in Ireland.