Small businesses were told today they can do more to lower insurance costs by introducing better health and safety procedures.
Speaking at the Health and Safety Authority's annual conference in Kilkenny, the Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr Frank Fahey told delegates that investing in safety could save them money by reducing absenteeism, increasing staff retention and lowering insurance costs.
Promising that tough new health and safety legislation will be enacted in the near future, Mr Fahey said the majority of industrial accidents occur in businesses employing 50 people or less.
He quoted figures which show that in 2001, 51 per cent of all workplace deaths occurred in small businesses. He described the high level of accidents such businesses as "simply unacceptable."
Acknowledging that insurance costs were crippling small businesses, Mr Fahey promised to help tackle the problem. "The increase in insurance costs is a major issue. It causes financial difficulty for large firms but for small firms it can cause financial devastation. A safe workplace should see a reduction in cost", he said.
He also noted that fraudulent personal injury claims against businesses are likely to cost around €100 million this year.
Mr Fahey referred to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board established by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney to reduce the legal costs of injury claims. Mr Fahey reminded the audience that the purpose of the PIAB is not to reduce the size of compensation claims but merely to speed up the award process where liability has been is admitted.
However he added that he was working with the Tánaiste other measures to put a stop to what he described as a "claim-conscious society."