Company fined €80,000 after fatal accident on Carlow Construction Site

21st December 2022

Today at Waterford Circuit Court, Judge Eugene O’ Kelly imposed a fine of €80,0000 on Drumderry Aggregate Limited t/a Drumderry Pre Cast for breaches of health and safety legislation.

The company, pleaded guilty to the following offence under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005: Section 8 (2) (a) of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005 as it relates to Section 77 (9) (a).

The prosecution arose after an accident that occurred on the the 15th of April 2019 at a partially-constructed building in Leighlinbridge, County Carlow.

An employee of the company suffered personal injuries and died when he fell from a height whilst in the process of installing precast concrete slabs at the first floor level of the building.

The company had pleaded guilty to one charge, in that they failed to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure the safety of employees and they failed to provide systems of work that were planned, organised, performed and maintained.

Mark Cullen, Interim Chief Executive Officer, HSA said:“Employers have a duty to ensure that workers are protected from any potential hazards that arise in their workplace. Failure to do so in this case has regrettably led to the fatal injury of an employee. Working at height is a known high-risk activity and it is vital that before the commencement of any work activity, employers and duty holders carry out risk assessments and make sure the required safety precautions and appropriate control measures are in place to protect workers.”