A safety audit is to be carried out of the Natural History Museum, Merrion Street, Dublin, following yesterday's incident in which 10 people were injured when a stairs collapsed.
Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism Séamus Brennan said the incident was a matter of "grave concern".
"Pending a full health and safety audit by the Health and Safety Authority and the relevant competent authorities, the Natural History Museum will remain closed to visitors and staff for the foreseeable future," he added.
Director of the museum Dr Pat Wallace conceded that it was "very lucky" that nobody was killed when a stone staircase, built in the 1850s, collapsed at around 11.30am.
Ten people were taken to various hospitals in Dublin. They were part of a group of 21 teachers who were attending a science appreciation course organised by the Natural History Museum and Dublin Zoo.
Most had open-wound injuries from sharp edges of the granite staircase and were discharged yesterday evening.
Others had been slightly crushed and one was being assessed last night for orthopaedic injuries.
Greg O'Dwyer from Dublin Fire Brigade said it was fortunate that the staircase did not collapse on any of them and nobody had been trapped. Emergency workers removed rubble from some of the injured by hand.
Five ambulances and five Dublin Fire Brigade units attended the scene and the HSE's emergency plan was put into operation.
The incident happened in the oldest part of the building that was due to be part of a €15 million refurbishment programme. The museum will be 150 years old this year. Mr Wallace conceded that the refurbishment plan was "back in the melting pot" and would not go ahead until a thorough safety check was done of the whole building.
Officials from the Office of Public Works, the Health and Safety Authority and Garda were on site yesterday examining the collapsed staircase.
The stairwell is at the back of the building and connects the bottom and first floor of the museum. It was not used by the general public.
The building will remain closed for at least the next two weeks although the adjoining National Museum of Ireland, which fronts on to Kildare Street, will not be closed.
According to a statement released on behalf of the National Museum of Ireland, the injured were among a group of 21 primary school teachers attending a science appreciation course at the museum.
The week-long course, entitled Living Things, is a privately-run summer course involving the museum and Dublin Zoo and is approved by the Department of Education and Science.
Fine Gael Arts spokesman Jimmy Deenihan described the accident as a "wake up call" and said he had called recently for significant investment in the museum.
A spokesman for the Impact trade union, which represents staff at the museum, said union representatives working there were surprised at yesterday's events.
"There were never any issues raised with management regarding the structure of the building," the spokesman said.
