Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Amendment No. 7 is a technical amendment which is consequential on amendment No. 8. The latter arises from a debate in the Dáil and serves to clarify that employers must bring the safety statement to the attention of new employees upon commencement of employment. The existing provision only required an employer to bring the safety statement to the attention of employees once annually. These amendments mean employers will be required to bring it to the attention of new employees when they start work. There are circumstances in which people could be in employment for 11 months, for example, before the annual review would arise. These amendments ensure the risk assessment and safety statement is brought to the attention of all new employees.