Kildare company fined €55,000 following serious incident

Digby Bridge Sand and Gravel Co. prosecuted after worker loses an arm whilst cleaning a conveyor

DIGBY Bridge Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd, trading as Dolly Skip Hire, have been fined a total of €55,000 following an incident on 27 November 2017 when, whilst carrying out cleaning duties on a conveyer belt, an employee of the company suffered serious injuries.

Naas Circuit Court judge Dara Hayes found that Digby Bridge Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd, owners of a construction waste processing facility at Osberstown Business Park, in Naas, in Co. Kildare, Ireland, had failed to manage and conduct their work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of their employees.

In particular, the company failed to manage and conduct the operation of the processing plant in that fixed guarding of moving parts and interlocking of access doors were not in use, as a consequence of which the employee suffered the amputation of his left arm.

Digby Sand and Gravel Co. pleaded guilty to one charge, namely Section 8(2)(a) contrary to Section 77(9)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005. Other charges relating to Section 19 and Section 8(2)(g) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and Regulation 33(e) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work General Application Regulations were taken into account in sentencing.

Mark Cullen, interim chief executive officer of Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority, said: ‘It is crucial that employers carry out risk assessments on all areas of work and ensure all precautions are taken to ensure that the safety, health and welfare of their employees carrying out the activity are able to do so safely.

‘As can be seen from this particular case, employers who fail to do so significantly increase the likelihood of a serious injury occurring to one of their employees. Incidents like this one are preventable.’