AS THOUSANDS OF people return to work during Phase One of the government’s reopening plan, there is a massive responsibility upon each and every employer to make sure workplaces are as safe as possible.
The agency will also have responsibility for inspecting places of work to ensure they are adhering to the correct health and safety guidelines, particularly around social distancing. Addressing the Dáil at the time then-Labour Minister Bertie Ahern said the “clear objective” in setting up this authority was to “help reduce accidents and ill-health at work which gives rise to human loss and suffering”.It is Ireland’s statutory body with responsibility for ensuring workers are protected from work-related injury and ill-health. It also provides advice and guidance for businesses to adhere to health and safety requirements.
The government says this protocol should be used by all workplaces to make sure they adapt their procedures and practices to comply fully with all the public health protection measures. When an inspector visits a workplace, they have powers to initiate a number of actions if they spot something that gives them cause for concern.
However, the use of this process is expected to be the exception rather than the rule as HSA inspectors already have a range of enforcement powers at their disposal including, for example, improvement notices and prohibition notices. Our approach in the first instance is to engage with employers with a view to resolving any safety, health and welfare issues.
It is incumbent on employers to develop detailed plans for their business in advance of returning to work. It’s also the responsibility of workers to self-isolate if they feel symptoms, to practice good hand hygiene and social distancing at work. However, a group of Dáil deputies – including the Social Democrats and People-Before Profit TDs – said in a joint statement last week the HSA is “neither equipped nor robust enough to carry out the scale of inspections necessary”.
As the other phases of the economic reopening go on, this will get much more acute. Very small employers in the hospitality sector and so on will all require the same level of scrutiny. Dr McGuinness said that talks are at an “advanced” stage with the government for more resources and she was hoping that the plan would be signed off “very shortly”.
Wear masks! Take a look at Taiwan..my brother in law lives there. Carry on as usual but wear masks and social distancing in restaurants.
The HSA will have to realise how fucking insulting it is for people with decades of experience, to be questioned by a child about how they do their job. 19 year old hsa inspector, grilling 60year old lads on site. Little fucker is lucky he wasnt knocked out.
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