Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The HSA plays a very valuable role in health and safety throughout the country. The three sectors with which they are mainly concerned are construction, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. We have spoken about the economy and how buoyant it is at the moment. We have seen a revival in the contraction sector in recent times. A lot is going to happen in the construction sector. The action plan for housing will see a lot of houses built. Industry is growing all the time, which means we will have to build more advanced units for companies. There is also a lot of reconstruction taking place in Dublin at the moment. Buildings are being demolished and new buildings are being put into place.

We feel that the construction sector is doing really well. There have been some deaths, but it has the resources, it is well legislated for, and health and safety officers are in place to ensure that the construction site is well equipped to deal with any potential accidents that take place over time. Of course, we cannot be complacent about that.

The big worry we have is in the agricultural sector. That affects all of us. There were 25 or 26 accidents this year, which we are very concerned about. Early last year I convened a meeting with the various Departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Minister, Deputy Creed, and I were present, along with the Irish Farmers' Association and the Health and Safety Authority, among others, and we sought to develop proposals on how farm safety can be improved. It is a concern we all share. If one talks to a person who has been involved in an accident or the family of that person the devastation it can cause is plain to see. The same applies to the construction sector. A meeting of the task force on farm safety was also convened, with representatives of the various Departments, with a view to developing appropriate Government-led actions that can be put in place.

More inspectors are going to be recruited. So far this year we have been sanctioned to create eight new inspector posts, on top of the recent recruitment of 11 new inspectors. It is not possible to go onto every farm or construction site in the country, particularly in the farming sector because there are so many farms. We want to help farmers help themselves and to be conscious of the responsibility they have for their own safety. Farming is a solitary practice and farmers are in a hurry, winter and summer, to get their work done. It is important that farmers are educated and are aware of the dangers they face on the family farm. It is important to collaborate together and for peer groups to work together. The HSA has organised farm safety days where farmers are invited to various farms so that they can see for themselves the dangers that exist. Farmers falling through roofs or handling baling machinery are problems, as is the issue of children on farms. We are going to put a number of measures in place to ensure that farmers are aware of safety measures they can take, and there will be obligations on farmers to ensure that they change their behaviour.