A concrete company in Ireland was fined thousands of Euros following an incident in which an employee died.
Flanagan Concrete Products Limited was fined €80,000 after the incident in May 2021 in Feighcullen, Rathangan in County Kildare.
Worker became trapped in conveyor system
The incident involved an employee becoming entrapped in the tail drum of a conveyor system.
The company pleaded guilty to Section 8(2)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005, contrary to Section 77(2)(a) in that it failed to ensure a weigh conveyor was not operated while the safety trip wire was inoperative.
It also pleaded guilty to Regulation 33(f)(iii) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 contrary to Section 77(2)(c) in that it failed to ensure that the guards provided were not easily removed or rendered inoperative.
Failures in machinery safety controls
The company was fined at Naas Circuit Criminal Court.
Mark Cullen, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, said: “Employers must ensure that all safety protective devices are in good working order and that employees are not put in danger by unsafe work practices whereby safety devices are inoperable.
“All work activities involving machinery must be risk assessed and the appropriate safety control measures must be put in place to ensure a safe system of work for all workers. Serious injuries and fatal incidents such as this tragic death are preventable.”
