Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 May 2000

Vol. 518 No. 6

Written Answers. - Health and Safety Regulations.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

125 Mr. Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the fact that only two inspectors are available to carry out health and safety checks on farms in counties Roscommon, Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and Laois, in spite of the fact that there are 15,000 farmers in this area; her views on whether more officers should be employed to increase the amount of safety checks carried out throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12702/00]

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

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, is the principal legislation dealing with workplace health and safety. Under the 1989 Act, the national authority for occupational safety and health, known as the Health and Safety Authority, is the State body charged with overall responsibility for the administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health. Matters arising from this responsibility are, therefore, a day-to-day function of the authority, as indeed are matters relating to the recruitment of, and assignment of duties to, staff within the authority.

The provisions of the 1989 Act apply to all employers, including the self-employed, and cover all places of work. Under Section 12 of the Act, every employer must prepare a safety statement. This safety statement should be based on an identification of the hazards and an assessment of the risks to safety and health at the place of work to which the safety statement relates. The concept of a safety statement is as applicable to a farm as it is to any other business or place of work. It is essential that farmers assess all the risks, both to themselves individually and to others who may be on the farm, before undertaking farm tasks, and then put in place the necessary safety measures before attempting these tasks. The key to tackling the issue of safety in any workplace centres around the principles of awareness, assessment and prevention, and while inspection activities by the Health and Safety Authority are an vital element in improving workplace safety, they are not the only approach which can or should be taken.

The Health and Safety Authority will continue to treat safety in the agricultural sector as a high priority throughout 2000. The authority's published programme of work for this year has set a target of over 1,000 inspections in that sector. The authority has also organised a national farm safety awareness week commencing on 19 June 2000.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

126 Mr. Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to a project undertaken by students of Moate Community College in relation to farm safety; if so, if she will undertake an awareness campaign to raise the issues among farmers of farm safety and the need to have a safety statement prepared for their farms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12704/00]

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

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, is the principal legislation dealing with workplace health and safety. Under the 1989 Act, the national authority for occupational safety and health, known as the Health and Safety Authority, is the State body charged with overall responsibility for the administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health. Matters arising from this responsibility are, therefore, a day-to-day function of the authority.

I have been informed by the authority that the Moate Community College project on farm safety has not yet been finalised. In the authority's published programme of work for 2000 a significant emphasis has been placed on raising health and safety awareness in the farming sector. Aside from the farm inspection programme, where it is planned to carry out over 1,000 farm inspections during the course of the year, a major national farm safety awareness week will commence on 19 June 2000.

The purpose of the farm safety week is to raise awareness of safety issues amongst the farming community. As part of the week's activities inspectors of the authority will carry out 400 farm inspections nationwide. Inspections will focus on the high risk areas, such as child safety on the farm, safe use of tractors and machinery, safe livestock handling and safety statements.

In addition, the Farm Safety Task Force, established by the Health and Safety Authority in 1996, is working closely with the authority to ensure the success of the awareness campaign. The task force is co-ordinating the various activities planned during the week involving all the farming organisations, Teagasc, the insurance industry, the co-operative movement, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the Department of Education and Science and also both national and local media.

The authority has informed me that it is confident of a successful outcome to the awareness week which should reflect in a more widespread adoption of accident prevention measures leading to a significant reduction in farm accidents.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

127 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when she hopes the task force on bullying in the workplace will produce its report; if all the recommendations in the report will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12742/00]

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

I have been informed by the chairman of the task force on the prevention of workplace bullying that the deliberations of the task force are unlikely to be completed before autumn 2000. Any recommendations arising out of these deliberations will be considered in due course.