Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
86. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the actions being taken to ensure that hairdressers, barbers and beauty and nail salons are complying with public health guidelines regarding Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18863/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe national Return to Work Safely Protocol should be used by all workplaces, including hairdressers, barbers and beauty and nail salons, to adapt their workplace procedures and practices to comply fully with the COVID-19 related public health protection measures identified as necessary by the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health. The Protocol operates in parallel with existing workplace health and safety statutory requirements. The Protocol sets out in very clear terms for employers and workers in all business sectors the steps that they must take on an ongoing basis.
I would emphasise that, in the first instance, employers and workers have a joint responsibility for adhering to the procedures and practices in the Protocol which are designed to protect the health and safety of all concerned.
The Health and Safety Authority is the lead agency tasked with monitoring adherence to the Protocol. The inspectorate of the Health and Safety Authority is being supplemented significantly by deploying other inspectors from across the system. These resources are being drawn from the Workplace Relations Commission, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the cohort of Environmental Health Officers. This has resulted in approximately an additional 500 inspectors checking compliance with the Protocol as part of their normal workplace inspection programme across all business sectors.
