I would like to express my thanks to the Members of the House who contributed so constructively to the debate today and on Second Stage.
I am especially pleased with the consensus approach which both Houses of the Oireachtas have adopted in relation to this measure. This, I am glad to acknowledge, has been a feature of the whole process of the development of the legislation, commencing with the work of the Barrington Commission of Inquiry on Safety, Health and Welfare at Work right through to the work of the interim board for occupational safety and health. It is essential that this spirit of co-operation and dialogue should continue so that the new legislative and structural safety and health system is effective in reducing the occurrence of accidents and diseases in the workplace. Because of the operation of the commission, the interim board and bodies such as the representative national industrial safety organisation, I am confident that such co-operation will be readily forthcoming.
The Bill is the most radical measure on occupational safety and health ever considered by the Oireachtas. It will ensure that a legislative framework exists through which safety and health standards can be implemented at the workplace which will take into account such vital factors as technological change and requirements arising from the development of integrated social policies within the European Community.
I have said before that the Bill has one clear objective — to help to reduce the toll of accidents and ill-health at work which gives rise both to human loss and suffering and to heavy financial costs. I must emphasise that the legislation is not expected to provide a panacea for all our safety and health problems at the workplace. What I expect it to do is to provide a sound basis where employers, workers and the self-employed can solve their problems in a spirit of co-operation with the support and guidance of the State. The primary responsibility, however, will remain with those who create the risks at the workplace. In addition, where advice and guidance fails to have the desired impact the possibility must exist for appropriate enforcement controls and sanctions. I believe the Bill allows for that type of balanced approach to the problem.
In contrast with existing safety legislation, the Bill does not set out a detailed series of specific requirements and prohibitions as regards safety and health to be observed at each place of work. Instead, it sets out broad general duties of care for all employers, employees and the self-employed. Broadly speaking, those general duties of care involve the provision of a safe place of work, safe plant and equipment and a safe system of work. Other requirements include adequate training and information for those at risk about the relevant hazards and the steps taken to deal with them. The Bill also places broad general duties of care on those who design, manufacture, import, supply and install articles and substances for use at work.
In this debate I think we have covered all the general duties in the Bill. I want to assure the House again, because during the debate a number of Senators asked about this that they may be supplemented or amplified, as necessary, by regulations and codes of practice developed under the Bill covering an extensive and diverse range of issues. It is anticipated that there will be frequent recourse to the use of codes of practice under the new system. It is likely that such codes can be better attuned to the needs of those at the place of work than detailed sets of statutory regulations. Regulations, by their nature, may not be easily understood by those who are affected by them. It should be possible to indicate in clear terms in codes of practice possible ways of compliance with the relevant statutory provisions.
I am very aware that the new national Authority will require adequate resources if it is to be successful in carrying out its functions. Expenditure on safety and health matters, whether at national or workplace level, is an investment which is essential, not only to prevent human loss and suffering, but will also be repaid in monetary terms by reduced insurance premium which we discussed earlier with Senator Robinson's question — fewer legal actions, less disruption at work and fewer occupational injury benefit claims. In seeking resources for the national Authority I will emphasise strongly the positive and essential role it has to play in the economic life of the country.
The successful implementation of the new safety system will also give rise to the need for a substantial and sustained exercise of training, information and education. I share the Barrington Commission's view that the legislation on its own would be ineffective without such an exercise. In this regard several initiatives have been taken, even in advance of this legislation, in the voluntary, private and public sectors, particularly in the crucial areas of information, education and training. I know that in the course of the debate a number of Senators asked that that be done, and it has commenced. Employer organisations, trade unions and private enterprise provide the necessary training. Under the aegis of my Department, a multi-disciplinary course in occupational safety and health was instituted at third level education. NISO, the National Industrial Safety Organisation, a voluntary body in safety and health, broadened its horizons and its range of activities.
Initiatives such as these are welcome. Not alone will they contribute towards overall public awareness and expertise but they will also help to relieve the direct burden on the State and on employers as regards achieving the objectives of the new system.
The passage of this Bill by the Oireachtas will mark an historic development and it also represents the beginning of a new challenge. It will require concerted effort by all concerned in development and implementation of appropriate safety and health standards within the framework which the legislation provides. I am convinced with the proper commitment we can meet those challenges. This legislation will make a major contribution to economic and social development of the country. I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach and the Senators for their help and co-operation during the course of this debate.