A proposal by SIPTU for the establishment of a safety committee at the ISPAT steel plant in Cork was vetoed by company management last year, The Irish Times has learned.
Two employees have died while working at the facility since ISPAT acquired it from Irish Steel in 1996.
Confirming that in a letter to SIPTU the company said it had no legal obligation to establish a safety committee, ISPAT human resources manager, Mr John Hewitt, said he was not sure how beneficial such a committee would be.
He had nevertheless told the union recently that he would be willing to look at the proposal again.
The letter is understood to contain the following observation from Mr Hewitt: "I am informed that the company has no legal obligation in having a safety committee or safety group (sometimes referred to).
"The Safety in Industry Act 1980 had a provision for the compulsory establishment of safety committees where more than 20 people were employed. The Safety, Health and Welfare Act 1989 rescinded this legislation. The company as required, and agreed by the employees, established a safety representative.
"This representative was elected by voting of the employees in the company. In tandem with the above, the company has a number of safety advisers and it is our intention to increase their input on safety-related matters."
He also confirmed that the company's fire tender failed to work during the emergency due to a faulty fuel pump and said this was one of the matters now under investigation by the Health and Safety Authority.
Defending ISPAT's safety record, Mr Hewitt said it compared favourably with any other steel plant operating outside Ireland. In a heavy industry such as steel-making, minor accidents were not uncommon and the company did everything in its power to minimise them.
The accident in which Mr Tom Mulcahy (53) died in a fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning last, was deeply regretted by the company, he said. According to SIPTU, which represents 230 of the 300 workers at ISPAT, various attempts had been made over the years to secure the company's agreement on the provision of a safety committee, but it had always resisted the suggestion.
Mr Mulcahy's funeral will take place today in Cork.
ISPAT last night played down the significance of a missing canister following the fire. The canister, similar to a shoe polish tin, was one of four containing the radioactive element caesium, which was used to test radioactive testing devices in the plant. The three other canisters have been accounted for. The company said the missing canister posed no risk.