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2003
SIPTU angry at Frank Fahy's suggestion of a compromise on smoking ban
Date Released: 03 Oct 2003SIPTU is angry that Frank Fahy, Minister for Labour Affairs - with responsibilities for workplace safety and health - has suggested the hospitality sector should not have to introduce a total ban on smoking, declared SIPTU Safety Officer, Sylvester Cronin. Minister Fahy is reported as having supported calls for a compromise on the proposed smoking ban when it comes to the hospitality sector, at a Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting on October 1, 2003 "It seems to me that the Minister is acting contrary to his Ministerial obligations if he is prepared to compromise on the health of some workers instead of protecting the health of all workers in this state," said Mr. Cronin. "Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, there is a requirement for all employers to provide a healthy place of work, and that includes workers in the hospitality sector. Why should they be afforded less protection than any other employee? "Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been scientifically proven to be detrimental to health, and the cause of various forms of cancers, heart diseases, respiratory diseases etc. There are no ventilation systems which will reduce health risks of ETS to safe levels. "We are calling on Minister Fahey to uphold the safety and health legislation on behalf of all workers and to apply the principals of prevention - that is the avoidance of risk," concluded Mr. Cronin. Editor's Note: Relevant section of the 1989 Act. "as regards any place of work under the employers control, the design, the provision and the maintenance of it in a condition that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health".
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