Written answers

Tuesday, 8 February 2005

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Health and Safety Information

8:00 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 338: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if non-nationals will receive health and safety information in their own language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4042/05]

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, the Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with overall responsibility for administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health. Matters arising from this responsibility are, therefore, a day to day function of the authority.

Under the 1989 Act, there is a duty on employers relating to the provision of information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure the safety and health of workers. The Health and Safety Authority recognises the new challenges that the growth of non-English speaking people within the workforce brings. This is evidenced by the launch recently of a new authority initiative, safe system of work plan, SSWP, aimed at reducing injuries and deaths on construction sites.

The initiative relies heavily on pictograms to explain and clarify hazards and controls, thereby creating a wordless document where safety can be communicated to all workers regardless of literacy or language skills. The safe system of work plan aims to focus on those in the construction industry who are most at risk allowing them to ensure that all necessary safety controls are in place prior to the commencement of planned work. In addition, work is currently under way to produce the safe system of work plan in a number of different languages.

In April 2004, the authority in conjunction with Bord Glas, recognised the multicultural nature of the horticultural workforce, with the launch of The Essential Health and Safety Guide for Horticulture, which aims to promote health and safety awareness and accident prevention in the workplace. As a labour intensive industry, horticulture is an established employer of migrant workers and 30% of these originate from then accession states, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. The guide is available in five different languages English, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian.

The Government's commitment to ensuring appropriate standards of health and safety in Irish workplaces, for all workers, national and non-national, is illustrated in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004, which is currently before the House. The Bill, when enacted, will update, repeal and replace the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 and will provide a modern legal framework to guarantee best international practice in regard to health and safety in Irish workplaces.

Section 9 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004 sets out the type of information on safety health and welfare required to be given by employers to employees. The information must be in a form, manner and language that can be understood. It must include information on hazards, risks and measures taken as regards safety, health and welfare and the names of emergency staff and safety representatives.

Furthermore, under section 20 of the Bill, an employer is obliged to prepare a written safety statement, based on the identification of hazards and an assessment of risks. This statement, which sets out how the safety, health and welfare of the employees will be secured and managed, also must be in a form, manner and, as appropriate, language that can be understood. The new provisions are intended to provide for the fact that new challenges are evolving in our economy due to the changing nature of the workforce.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.