Time to end death and injury - Minister Killeen

Mr Tony Killeen, TD, Minister for Labour Affairs speaking today (Wednesday 23^rd August 2006) at the IOSH Interconstruct Conference “Success built on failure” said “the time had arrived when all those engaged in the construction sector took responsibility and played their part in ending death and injury in their workplaces”.

The two day international conference is being attended by representatives from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) and Canadian Society of Safety Engineers (CSSE), along with speakers from other areas of construction.

The Minister said “last year 23 people lost their lives on Irish construction sites; so far this year 9 have died. While this is an improvement on figures for this time last year it is still 9 deaths too many. I am committed to ensuring rigorous enforcement to bring about change in the health and safety record of our workplaces. It is also crucial that one of our economy’s most important sectors maintains a healthy, safe and vibrant workforce.

Minister Killeen pointed out that Occupational safety and health legislation is being modernised to support the task of greater enforcement. “The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 which commenced almost a year ago sets the scene for achieving further improvements in the national record on safety and health over the next few decades”, he said.

“The primary focus of this Act is to encourage a responsible attitude on the part of both employers and employees to cultivate a culture of prevention of accidents and illnesses in the workplace. The Act also provides for significantly increased fines and penalties aimed at deterring the minority who continue to flout safety and health laws.

“Shortly I will introduce new Regulations specifically for the Construction Sector. These will build on requirements in existing regulations and clarify roles in relation to design and management of construction projects. The regulations have been the subject of extensive consultation both by public forum and through the tripartite structure of the Health & Safety Authority. I’d like to commend the Authority, the social partners and the professional bodies in particular for their participation in development of these regulations. I firmly believe that consultation is invaluable in developing and fostering acceptance of good legislation”, Minister Killeen added.

Minister Killeen also referred to the recently launched the Report on the Economic Impact of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Legislation prepared by Indecon. “While I am concerned that, based on the work done for the Report, the costs of work related accidents and ill-health to the Irish economy are estimated to be c. 2.5% of GNP, I am heartened by the findings of the one of the surveys carried out for the Report - the survey on the construction industry, which showed:

• A majority of respondents (53.8%) believe that the legislation has led to a reduction in the cost of accidents;
• A sizeable minority (39.6%) believe that Health and Safety legislation has led to a reduction in insurance costs, while just 5% felt that they had led to an increase;
• The majority of construction firms believe that there has been a net benefit for their business arising from Health and Safety legislation.
• “Positive” responses on the impact of health and safety on various aspects of the business ranged form 59% to 82% of respondents

“One of the keys to prevention of accidents is good communication and, over the next day or so, many words and good examples will be communicated. The test will be whether we learn from what we hear to prevent incidents occurring.

“I urge you all to participate over these two days, to give of your own experiences, share problems, share resources and continue to learn how to build safe, successful projects”, the Minister concluded.

ENDS

LA 203