Quinn Piling Ltd have pleaded guilty to a charge under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, following a fatal incident on a construction site in Rossaveel Harbour, Co. Galway.
On 29 January 2017, an employee was installing metal pipes as part of the construction of a small boat marina in Rossaveel Habour. During this process the compressed air hose being used suffered an unexpected release of compressed air which caused a component to suddenly come free, striking an employee. Tragically the employee suffered serious fatal injuries as a result.
The Health and Safety Authority argued that Quinn Piling Ltd had failed to provide a safe system of work in relation to the provision and control of the compressed air hose at the piling rig and construction works site.
The company plead guilty at Galway Circuit Criminal Court and were fined a total of €25,000 plus costs of €8,900.
Assistant Chief Executive with the Health and Safety Authority, Mark Cullen, commented on the case, saying, “It is vital that duty holders ensure that all work activities are conducted in a safe manner and that appropriate safe systems of work are in place to protect their employees. Furthermore, such measures should be specified in the company safety statement. The lack of appropriate measures that contributed to this incident led to particularly tragic consequences”.
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