Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 448: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on whether health care workers exposed to MRSA, and the potential morbidity associated if these workers needed emergency surgery, should be protected under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5163/07]

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on whether MRSA is a serious bio-hazard to health care workers; the steps the Health and Safety Authority has taken to reduce the risk of MRSA to health care workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5164/07]

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 450: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Health and Safety Authority has independently reviewed data on the prevalence of MRSA in all settings where health care is provided; the inspections carried out in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5165/07]

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 451: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Health and Safety Authority has carried out investigations into the spread of MRSA in health institutions here that would fall under its remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5167/07]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 448 to 451, inclusive, together.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 the Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with overall responsibility for enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health. Matters arising from this responsibility are a function of the Authority. In accordance with its Programmes of Work for 2006 and 2007 the Authority is continuing work relating to the potential exposure of workers in hospitals to biohazards that might adversely affect their safety, health or welfare. Employers in the healthcare sector have a duty under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to ensure that workers who treat MRSA infected patients are protected by adherence to good hygiene practices, by adequate risk assessment and where appropriate isolation of infected patients, and adequate infection controls.

The Health Safety Authority focuses on the existence and implementation of comprehensive infection control policies as part of the overall safety management system of workplaces where there may be a risk of workers' exposure to biological agents. Such infection control policies must take account of all biological agents that may be present and, in particular, focus on those organisms that are of primary concern including, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ("MRSA"), Legionella, Hepatitis B, HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis ("TB") and Streptococcus pyrogenes.

The Health and Safety Authority is also aware that the Health Service Executive's Corporate Safety Statement deals with the obligation to protect its workers from blood borne disease exposure and the need to provide health surveillance of workers considered to be at risk. The Health and Safety Authority as part of this work, in 2006, requested the HSE to identify those hospitals, if any, under its control that were not in possession of a written site-specific risk assessment for exposure to biological agents at work and the associated safety management system (including prevention and control measures).

I am informed by the Health and Safety Authority that any hospitals that were so identified were subject to inspection by its inspectors and, where necessary, appropriate enforcement action was taken. In relation to other hospitals that the Health Service Executive considered compliant, a sample was also subject to inspection in line with the Authority's policy of dealing with this prioritised area. In 2006 the Health and Safety Authority carried out a total of 148 inspections in the Healthcare sector. As part of these inspections, 13 hospitals were targeted nation-wide, focusing on the spread of MRSA, and enforcement action was taken in 12 instances.

The Health and Safety Authority's overall objective in relation to the Healthcare Sector in its Programme of Work for 2007 is to improve health and safety management systems and practices in the sector. In this regard, the Authority is committed to carrying out a programme of 200 inspections focusing on worker protection in hospitals, nursing homes and psychiatric institutions, concentrating on risk assessments for work activities, maintenance and cleaning procedures, security and violence procedures, manual handling and biological agents control. In addition the Inspectors of the Authority are following up on last year's inspections.