Building safety body criticised

Construction workers in the Republic have no confidence in the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), it was announced at the launch of the authority's annual report for 1999. Referring to the recent leak of a consultant's report which was critical of the HSA, Mr Eric Flemming of SIPTU said the authority "could close 10 dangerous sites in Dublin today" if it wanted to be effective. Mr Flemming, a former member of the authority, said the HSA had been invited by Mr Justice Kelly in 1997 to bring to him cases where they did not receive absolute co-operation from builders. This offer was taken up only four times last year, he said, although he saw "ample opportunity to teach these people a lesson and get the message across".

The HSA was patting itself on the back for one indictment which carried a penalty of a £5,000 fine, while it headed into "another year of more deaths".

"The authority has a hell of a job to convince building workers that it is on their side," he concluded. Mr Sylvester Cronin, a safety officer of SIPTU and HSA member, compared cases in 1998 in the UK and the Republic. In the UK, a builder was jailed for non-compliance with a prohibition notice. In a case in the Republic, a builder was fined £1,000 for a similar offence which had led to the death of a worker.

The full text of the Health and Safety Authority's Annual Report 1999 is at the Irish Times web site: www.ireland.com