Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 23 Mar 2000

Vol. 516 No. 5

Written Answers. - Safety in the Construction Industry.

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

111 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the agreement reached with the working group on safety on building sites; the resources required to implement proposals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8035/00]

Derek McDowell

Question:

118 Mr. McDowell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of accidents reported on the construction industry in 1999 and January and February 2000; the number of deaths and the number of people injured as a result; the main features of the construction safety partnership plan; if casual building workers supplied through agencies will be covered by the plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8014/00]

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. T. Kitt)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 118 together.

The Construction Safety Partnership Plan was launched on 28 February 2000. The plan sets out the conclusions and the recommendations of the Construction Safety Partnership which I set up in October 1999. The conclusions focus on improved worker safety representation on site, safety training for all in the industry, structured skills training and other measures. These measures will be strongly supported and implemented under the guidance of the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, FÁS, the Health and Safety Authority and the other participants in the Construction Safety Partnership. It is recommended that these measures become mandatory in the future. It is intended that all workers in the construction sector will be covered by the plan. I have arranged for a copy of the plan to be made available separately to the Deputies.

Continued enforcement and guidance is important and the Health and Safety Authority plans to be able to double the rate of construction industry site inspections by the end of this year with the additional resources sanctioned by the Government coming on-stream. Of 20 new inspector posts recently advertised by the authority, nine are intended for assignment to the construction sector. I also secured additional funding for the authority for this year to enable it to undertake awareness raising activities with regard to workplace health and safety and some of this campaign will be specifically targeted at the construction sector. The board of FÁS is also committed to making available the necessary human and financial resources to enable the aspects of the plan relevant to its area of activity to be implemented. Given that the plan is based on a partnership approach, all the parties to the plan will be contributing as appropriate to its implementation.

The CSP will initially meet quarterly over the next year to oversee the implementation of the recommendations as well as provide a policy focus for other related consultative structures in the industry.

Statistical information concerning the number of fatalities, injuries and inspections in any work sector is collected by the Health and Safety Authority and is, therefore, obtainable directly from the authority at 10 Hogan Place, Dublin 2. I have been informed by the authority that 18 fatal accidents occurred in the construction industry in 1999 and four fatalities occurred in the sector in January and February 2000. The provisional number of accidents in the construction sector notified to the authority for 1999 is 1,069. A further 73 dangerous occurrences which did not involve actual injury were also notified to the authority for 1999.

Non-fatal accident data for January and February 2000 has not yet been analysed.