Vol. 567 No. 1
91 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has had a health and safety review audit conducted within her Department's office following a recent successful personal injuries claim at the High Court. [13509/03]
It is the policy of the Department in conducting its affairs, to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of staff, customers and visitors to the Department. The policy in this regard is set down in the Department's safety statement, the latest version of which was published in August 2002. The approach adopted is based on an identification of hazards and an assessment of risks to safety and health in the workplace by local managers. As part of an ongoing process, risks identified are minimised by control measures, while necessary training and equipment are provided to maintain the standards set.
The Department's safety statement contains a commitment to review its operation periodically, and such a review is under way at present across the Department to ensure that local risk assessments are up to date and any consequent action initiated by managers. In order to improve on all aspects of health and safety my Department provides training courses for managers on risk assessment. To date, over 300 staff at management level have attended these courses. Training is also provided for safety representatives and 100 have attended these courses. Training in manual handling has been availed of by more than 200 staff. Audits are also carried out in a number of offices each year. In the past two years, audits have been carried out in 12 offices and 35 branch offices of the Department to identify difficulties and areas for improvement.
