Address by Mr. Tom Kitt, T.D., Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs on the occasion of the opening of The Occupational Safety and Health Research Workshop

Wednesday 27th November, 2001 at 9.30 am

Ladies and Gentleman, I am very pleased to be here this morning to open the Occupational Safety and Health Research Workshop.

In this day and age the modern workplace is changing rapidly with the arrival of work patterns and processes such as shift work, work-sharing, teleworking and so on. The remit for occupational health and safety grows ever wider, requiring greater access to reliable and relevant information and research.

It is to the Occupational Safety and Health Institute of Ireland, also known as OSHII, to whom we look for essential research and educational functions, as we strive to improve workplace safety. The establishment of the Institute in December 1998 marked a welcome chapter in the progression of workplace health and safety systems in Ireland.

The idea of an Institute such as this was first mooted in the Report of the Barrington Commission on Occupational Health and Safety back in 1983 and the establishment of the Institute in December 1998 marked a welcome chapter in the progression of workplace health and safety systems in Ireland.

I would like to take a quote from the Chapter of that Report dealing with the issue of Research:

• "No comprehensive, dynamic programme of occupational safety and health activities would be complete without a research and development component"

This quote brings home the importance of research and development to the overall health and safety function. I also believe it is important that such research be focused towards areas which have been identified by the HSA as warranting further attention.

I am also particularly concerned about fatalities in the agriculture sector, which has had 23 fatalities this year alone. Agriculture is an industry where additional research is needed. While few people are directly employed here, there are high fatality rates among those who work on our farms. The limited resources of farmers mean that health and safety solutions in this sector need to be practical and both technologically and economically feasible.

The Irish construction industry, and its workforce, one of the largest industrial sectors in the country, is also a cause for concern. This sector has the second highest rate of fatal accidents and the highest rates of non-fatal accidents in Ireland. It is critical to future prosperity and success, and to the improvement of our economic and social infrastructure. It is also one of our largest employers and therefore needs to embrace the highest health and safety standards.

It is my hope that these and the other key high-risk sectors such as forestry, mines & quarries, healthcare and chemical safety will receive particular attention from the Institute.

I would also like to talk to you today about the cost of safety. Across Europe, work-related fatalities remain at high levels and unfortunately, Ireland is no exception. Last year, 69 people were killed in Irish workplaces. Already this year the comparable figure is 58. Each one of these deaths is an immeasurable loss for family and friends. Clearly, companies which do not plan for safety are putting the health and lives of their workers at needless risk.

You will also be aware of the tragic incident at a County Kildare construction site, which resulted in the deaths of the two men in 1998. This case and the subsequent fine for the company made national headlines. Clearly, companies which do not plan for safety are putting the health and lives of their workers at needless risk. An estimated 28,000 people suffered injuries as a result of workplace accidents last year.

But reducing the number of accidents is not just an ethical necessity. In Ireland last year, a total of 1.1 million working days were lost as a result of work-related injury and ill-health. There can be no doubt that this had a direct negative financial impact on the success and competitiveness of Irish businesses. There is a strong business case for reducing the number of accidents since the most successful companies usually have the best accident prevention records. There are rewards for those companies willing to make an investment in safety, such as employee morale, lower employee turnover rates, lower insurance premia, improved productivity, greater job satisfaction and a positive reputation as a ‘good place to work'. American studies show, for example, that for every dollar invested in safety and health, a company can expect a return of between four and six dollars.

Both employers and employees can no longer accept injuries and illnesses as a routine cost of doing business. This Government is committed to reducing the high social and economic costs of work-related injury. One essential strand in the development of effective workplace health and safety policy and practices is ensuring the most appropriate laws apply. Another essential strand is the research that underpins the legislation.

Our economy has been experiencing a downturn lately but I would encourage everybody here to do their utmost to ensure that occupational health and safety standards do not suffer as a result. The message is clear - good safety is good business; preventing work-related accidents saves time and money.

I will now conclude by wishing those involved in the Occupational Safety and Health Institute of Ireland every success and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their research in the future.

Thank you very much.