Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, following our discussion that night on his Private Members’ Bill on workplace ventilation, which was not opposed by the Government, I asked the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, to start immediately a formal review of the existing provisions on workplace ventilation to determine what further enhancement measures could be considered. Following this review, a decision was made to update the existing regulations and to introduce a robust code of practice on ventilation in the workplace. Both the new regulations and the new code of practice are being progressed by my Department officials in conjunction with the HSA.

The code of practice for indoor air quality will set out the optimal standards for indoor air quality, along with detailed practical guidance for employers and employees. A code of practice is an established compliance mechanism and can be referred to in legal proceedings.

The board of the HSA has approved the draft code of practice for indoor air quality for public consultation. The public consultation will commence in the week beginning 31 October 2022, that is, next week. It will last about four weeks. The timeline for the publication of the finalised code of practice will depend on the extent of any amendments to be made following the public consultation but it is anticipated that the code of practice will be published in early 2023 and the updated regulations will be introduced at the same time.

The existing 2007 general application regulations create a requirement on employers to make sure that there is an adequate supply of ventilation in the workplace and that the evaluation of ventilation forms part of an overall workplace risk assessment. Amendment of the general application regulations will bring into force the new code of practice for indoor air quality. Any worker who is concerned about appropriate levels of ventilation in their workplace should immediately contact the HSA for advice and guidance on the matter.

This is progressing quite well as per our agreement on that, even with the Deputy’s legislation as well. I believe our regulations will probably go further and achieve more. The Deputy’s legislation requires specific Covid measures and we are trying to improve air ventilation in general, which has many other benefits beyond the prevention of the spread of Covid.

See this speech in context