Written Answers. - Hazardous Substances.
David Stanton
Question:
108
Mr. Stanton
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
if she has satisfied herself that adequate safeguards are in place to ensure public safety with regard to the transportation of dangerous chemicals and other hazardous substances with reference to the Y2K computer problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[25428/99]
The Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with responsibility for the administration, enforcement and promotion of all workplace health and safety.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, is the principal piece of workplace health and safety legislation. It sets out the duties of both employers and employees in relation to the provision and maintenance of a safe working environment. This Act applies to all places of work and to all employers, employees and the self-employed. Sections 6 and 7 of this Act state that it is the primary duty of every employer to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all employees and that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their safety and health.
The authority is actively alerting employers of possible year 2000 problems. Over the past 12 months, the authority has undertaken an information campaign to alert employers to their duty in the specific context of possible year 2000 problems impacting on key workplace systems. The authority has participated in an awareness campaign with the Small Firms Association. This involved participating in a nationwide lecture tour with other Y2K involved parties in which the authority encouraged employers to have contingency plans in place in the event of failure.
During visits to workplaces, inspectors are bringing the Y2K issue to the attention of employers and such plans should form part of the risk assessment review which is regularly carried out by employers.
The authority has published guidelines on this issue for use by interested parties. The guidelines are available free of charge from the Health and Safety Authority and are given out during inspection visits as appropriate. The authority also carried out a survey on chemical process industries and found that in general identification and awareness levels are high. The information relating to year 2000 is available on the health and safety authority website.
This Department has carried out various initiatives to increase awareness among businesses and to encourage them to take action to ensure that their computer systems are Y2K compliant. However, ultimate responsibility for this issue lies with the individual businesses and it is they who must ensure that their operations can continue safely and without interruption after the new year.
