Nine months ago, following the deaths of 69 people, the Minister of State with responsibility for safety at work, Mr Tom Kitt, spoke of introducing tough new legislation and on-the-spot fines to counteract unacceptable safety practices by rogue employers and sub-contractors.
Earlier this week, he was at it again, promising new legislation and heavier fines during the lifetime of the next government. But, in the intervening period, a further 64 people have died in a variety of accidents.
This is not good enough. It sends all the wrong signals to those unscrupulous employers who flout rules and safety regulations in the drive for higher profits. Regulations will not, in themselves, prevent accidents. But their application can seriously reduce the hazards of the workplace. And some occupations, which are inherently dangerous, require special policing. That task has been given to the Health and Safety Authority by the Government.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
A total of 24 people died while involved in agricultural pursuits; 18 were killed in the construction industry; five in mining and quarrying; five in transport, storage and communication and the remaining 12 across a range of other occupations. The increase in the number of deaths on farms is particularly worrying. Seventeen adults and seven children lost their lives last year, a rise of eight in the number of fatalities. The deaths coincided with a reduction in the number of inspections by Health and Safety officers because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. There was no such explanation for the 18 deaths in the construction industry, a figure that has remained static for two years. Last August, 500 construction workers marched through the streets of Dublin to protest against inadequate safety measures after one of their colleagues was killed. But little appears to have happened, in spite of official undertakings.
There is still a shortage of inspectors within the Health and Safety Authority. And suggestions that companies with good safety records should be rewarded with low insurance premiums have not been implemented. Talk of imposing heavier financial penalties in future legislation is a totally inadequate response by the Government.