My Department has deployed four defibrillators in the offices it occupies. Two are in our Head Office on Adelaide Road, Dublin and one each in our offices in Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin and Elm House Cavan. These defibrillators cost €7,381 to deploy in 2008 and deployment reflects the staff complement in each location. They are regularly serviced and certified as required. The defibrillators are necessarily situated adjacent to working areas which are within the inner security doors of the Departments buildings and not in open access areas or corridors.
A number of Departmental Staff have had essential certified training on the use of the apparatus and this training is regularly refreshed as demanded under Health and Safety requirements. As a matter of departmental Health and Safety policy, the defibrillators may only be used by trained personnel.
Making the defibrillators available to the local communities outside of office hours could carry significant risk and possible liabilities for the State. These risks would include:
- the potential use of the Departments apparatus by untrained persons resulting in harm;
- the potential for inappropriate use resulting in harm;
- the potential for apparatus placed in public areas to be damaged;
- the resource requirement to access departmental buildings outside of office hours;
- the time factor in effecting access to departmental buildings outside of office hours.
