It will not prove to be Armageddon but certainly will bring more than minor inconvenience, as up to 50 per cent of Irish organisations will experience "a failure due to Year 2000 problems", a health and safety seminar has been told. The level of preparedness for the Y2K bug in large businesses, hospitals and among providers of utilities such as electricity and water is generally good, but is significantly short of what is needed in smaller organisations, according to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
There is still time, however, to ensure that potentially serious problems are manageable and the trepidation surrounding Y2K has eased, the Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt, told the seminar in Dublin, which was staged by the HSA and health/safety consultants NIFAST Liberty Risk.
With estimates that 30 per cent to 50 per cent of organisations will experience a failure of some sort relating to Y2K, taking no action was simply not an option, he said. "Because of increasing automation of all aspects of economic activity, it is hard to envisage potential systems failures which will not at least have some direct and, possibly, adverse impact on the safety or the lives, of those at, or affected by, work." He commended a HSA guide, Are You Ready for the Millennium Bug?, published yesterday, which - with the seminar - marked the beginning of an intensive yearlong campaign by the HSA to help organisations prepare properly for Y2K.
The technology that could be affected goes beyond obvious "programme systems" (such as those in computers and telecommunications equipment), Mr Kitt noted. "Workplace health and safety systems range from processed control systems to fire detection and suppression systems to lift controls and air conditioning systems."
Most businesses are assessing and testing their computer systems, but comparatively few are looking beyond information technology, he said. In addition, they had to look at the consequences of many systems failing at the same time, possibly due to just a single failure - a US oil and gas platform was shut down during a Y2K simulation due to the failure of one gas sensor.
Anticipation had to be exhaustive and include evaluation of what might have to be done in the event of problems elsewhere, which, for example, could be something as simple as a traffic lights failure. Mr Martin Maher, a HSA inspector, underlined the need for employers to check their equipment to simulate the changeover period into 2000. "Many items have built-in or embedded systems which may not recognise the date changeover, causing them to fail."
Potential failures could arise in systems for fire detection and suppression, refrigeration and heating services, he noted. "Employers must bear the safety of their workers in mind when examining their workplace systems, and have a legal duty to look after their health in the workplace."
A senior person in their organisation should be made responsible for Y2K. Trained, competent people were required to undertake "detailed risk assessment of electronic systems", and a definite plan of action should be in place for any Y2K problems that may arise. The date-dependence of many systems was often not obvious, while back-up systems might be affected by the same problem, said Mr Mike Mahony, head of policy with the UK Health and Safety Executive. A survey of "high hazard areas" in Europe - chemical and nuclear industry, and hospitals (including their patient information systems) - indicated very reassuring results, he said.
