Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
293. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of HSA inspections that have taken place at meat factories up to and including 5 June 2020; if the inspections were unannounced;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10163/20]
View answerThe Health and Safety Authority is a member of the National Outbreak Control Team (NOTC). The NOCT is led by the HSE and it is working to address the issue of outbreaks in meat processing plants with input from professionals in public health, environmental health, animal health and the Health and Safety Authority, in relation to occupational health and safety. The NOCT and local Outbreak Control Teams are in place to address outbreaks of COVID-19 and to recommend steps and measures to ensure that current and future outbreaks can be managed and brought under control as quickly as possible. COVID-19 is first and foremost a public health issue so the first step must always be ensuring that measures are in place to manage and prevent outbreaks not just for the workers involved but also for the wider community where such workers live.
As of Friday 5th June, the Health and Safety Authority has completed 19 inspections in meat plants in support of the NOCT. Of these 19 inspections, 16 involved plants where outbreaks have been recorded, some of the inspections were unannounced the majority were announced.
It is worth noting that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who have an ongoing role in meat processing plants, is also a member of the National Outbreak Control Team and they too will be checking compliance with the Return to Work Safely Protocol in such plants.
