Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 June 2021
205. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the additional resources that will be provided to the Health and Safety Authority in relation to the reopening of the hospitality sector; if Covid-19 will be designated as an occupational illness in that context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30275/21]
View answerAll workers, regardless of the sector of the economy in which they work, are covered by the provisions of the Work Safely Protocol.
The Work Safely Protocol is a revision of the Return to Work Safely Protocol, first published in May 2020. The revised Protocol incorporates the most up-to-date advice on relevant Public Health measures and reflects new knowledge and better understanding of these measures. The Protocol provides a framework for all businesses to operate safely and protect workers.
In relation specifically to the hospitality sector, Fáilte Ireland has produced operational guidelines for the sector. These guidelines set out comprehensive advice on re-opening with an emphasis on protecting the safety and well-being of employers, employees and customers and help to instill public confidence in the sector.
The implementation of these guidelines, along with compliance with the Work Safely Protocol, can offer robust protection to all workers in the hospitality sector especially against a background where the number of people in the general population being vaccinated continues to increase.
The Health and Safety Authority will remain the lead Agency in relation to coordinating compliance with the Work Safely Protocol. However, the inspectorate of the Health and Safety Authority has been supplemented by inspectorates from other Government Departments and State Agencies in relation to carrying out Protocol related inspections, including Environmental Health Officers who inspect food outlets in the hospitality sector. Over 34,000 Protocol related inspections have been carried out by the various inspectorates since May 2020 and, obviously, with the fuller re-opening of the economy inspections will be targeted at areas potentially at high-risk of COVID-19 transmission.
The designation of COVID-19 as an occupational illness is currently under review through a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process. The RIA is being utilised to assess the feasibility and impact of introducing the statutory requirement for employers to report infections of COVID-19, that are attributable to work activity, to the Health and Safety Authority. Following conclusion of the RIA, the Board of the Health and Safety Authority will present its findings for consideration.
