Drumderry Aggregate fined €80,000 after fatal accident

Precast concrete company prosecuted following death of employee at a Carlow construction site

DRUMDERRY Aggregate Ltd, trading as Drumderry Precast, have been fined €80,0000 for breaches of health and safety legislation following a fatal accident on a partially constructed building at a construction site in Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow.

Waterford Circuit Court heard how, on 15 April 2019, an employee of the company suffered fatal injuries when he fell from a height whilst in the process of installing precast concrete slabs on the first-floor level of the building.

Drumderry pleaded guilty to one charge under Section 8 (2) (a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, as it relates to Section 77 (9) (a), in that they failed to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure the safety of employees, and failed to provide systems of work that were planned, organized, performed, and maintained.

Mark Cullen, interim chief executive officer of the Health and Safety Authority (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.’