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

Again, we analysed the Deputy’s Bill and we felt that amending existing regulations was a more appropriate and pragmatic way of achieving the objectives of that Bill. We probably will have achieved the same things.

The Deputy’s Bill, as drafted, focused primarily on improved workplace ventilation. However, both the Department and the HSA believe that workplace ventilation goes beyond Covid-19. The code of practice will provide a more long-term, sustainable and holistic approach to workplace ventilation and gives flexibility to further updates, as opposed to primary legislation. The Bill, as currently drafted, is quite prescriptive. It is not practical to use primary legislation to deal with every single place of work because places of work are very different. They differ greatly from one another and the impact of CO₂readings must be judged in the context of different workplaces with different workforces at different times.

The measurement of CO₂levels was recommended by the Government’s expert group on ventilation as an effective measure of identifying poorly ventilated, multi-occupant and enclosed indoor areas. The work safety protocol set out how these monitors should be used in the workplace. However, a high CO₂monitor reading is not a proxy for risk of exposure to Covid-19 but, rather, for identifying poor ventilation. This needs to be fully appreciated when reading CO₂levels, as well as the fact that other sources of CO₂exist in certain workplaces. That is why we think regulations that can be changed and adjusted as we move on are important.

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