THE WORKPLACE SAFETY regulator has been called upon to account for the oversight it carried out at a major plant in Co Cork which was the scene of a serious fire this week.
A man in his 40s was left on life support following the blaze at Stryker in Carrigtwohill, east Cork on Tuesday, and a local TD has alleged there were previously 11 incidents of concern covering an 18-month period at the site.
The medical devices facility was evacuated in the course of this week’s incident.
A second person was also brought to hospital for treatment following the fire in the IDA industrial estate in Carrigtwohill, according to the company.
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise Neil Richmond is to speak to officials to see how to proceed with a “full safety audit” of oversight by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) of Stryker in recent years, following calls from local TD Pat Buckley in the Dáil.
Raising safety fears around Stryker’s Cork operations – where 4,100 people are employed – Sinn Féin deputy Buckley told the Dáil that an “intense, full safety review” of the Health and Safety Authority’s work inspecting the plant since 2019 needs to take place.
The HSA is an independent statutory body which investigates workplace incidents, and has powers to bring legal action against employers. It operates under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Outlining the issue to the Dáil on Thursday night, Buckley said that he received a “very large protected disclosure” from staff in 2020, before listing out an 11-strong list of alleged incidents at the plant from May 2019 to March 2020.
One of those incidents, he told the chamber, allegedly saw four people get “violently sick in the cleaning rooms” at the plant.
Buckley received a reply from the Department of Enterprise in December 2021 that “the HSA had assured the Minister that all the matters were being dealt with”.
The TD claimed this was not the case, however. “The whistleblowers kept coming forward,” he said, adding that “60 more complaints” had been made to his office since that month.
“The Health and Safety Authority has not done its proper job,” Buckley continued.
“I am calling for and asking for a proper, intense, full safety review of the HSA going back from 2019 to the present day, because too many people have been affected by this.
“Jobs are possibly at risk, but there is also a fear that people will lose their lives.”
Asked for a response to Buckley’s comments, the company told The Journal that the health and safety of employees at Stryker “is and always will be our main concern”.
Responding to Buckley on Thursday night, Minister Richmond said he would see how the department would proceed with an analysis of the HSA’s work around Stryker.
“I believe they require a response and analysis from me and my department officials.
“I refer to the nature of protected disclosures and the Deputy’s call for a full safety audit covering the years 2019 to 2023,” the Fine Gael TD said.
“I will take that under advice and I give the Deputy the solemn commitment that I will bring that back to the Department and have that reflection.
“I will do that in the confines and restrictions of legislation governing this, as well as with regard [to] the duty of the HSA to act as an independent statutory body. I take that seriously.”
Richmond added that he hopes “incidents like those we have seen in Stryker will be very rare” in future, before passing on his wishes that “those who are injured and affected recover as best possible and as quickly as possible”.
Richmond said that “everyone deserves to feel safe at work, both physically and mentally”, but that this was “not the case for these two men” injured during the week.
He said the HSA has already commenced an investigation into Tuesday’s incident and told Buckley it will be thorough and the HSA will take whatever action it deems appropriate.
“Stryker are working with the HSA on this investigation and I want to stress that this close engagement must be maintained throughout the investigation and beyond,” Richmond said.
When the HSA was contacted about Buckley’s comments, it said: “The HSA are aware of the incident and have launched an investigation. As with all open investigations, the HSA do not provide any further comment on the matter.”
The Environmental Protection Agency, which has oversight of a radiation license held by the company, said it performed a site inspection in February of this year “under the conditions of the licence as it relates to radiation protection”.
A report on that inspection has not yet been be finalised.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he has confidence in the HSA to investigate the incident at the plant.
“First of all, my thoughts are with the people who have been injured. Everyone needs to be sure that they’re safe at work,” he said, speaking in Cork yesterday.
“I know the HSA was given considerable additional resources in last couple of years. “I want to extend my best wishes to the people who have been injured. And I think it is important that there is a full investigation as to what happened and why.”
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