Company fined €400,000 after fatal workplace accident

On Wednesday 5 March 2025, a company was fined €400,000 in the Central Criminal Court after the death of one of their employees in a workplace accident.  

The fatal incident took place on 23 November 2017, when four workers were tasked with installing equipment on a site at St. Patrick's University Hospital. As part of the project, the team were required to manually handle a section of LV switchgear weighing 772kg. In the process of maneuvering this equipment into an upright position, one of the workers was crushed between a side panel of the plant and equipment, and the wall of the plant room. 

Prior to the imposition of the fine, the company had pleaded guilty to four charges. All of these charges were in relation to breaches of Safety, Health and Welfare legislation, including but not limited to: 

• “Sections 8(1) and 8(2)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 thereby causing personal injury or death contrary to section 77(9)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005, the company failed to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, insofar as was reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of its employees.” 

As part of the same case, the judge also imposed a fine of €5000 on a director of the company, who had pleaded guilty to two charges in breach of Safety, Health and Welfare legislation. This included, but was not limited to: 

• “Section 8(2)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, contrary to Section 77(2) (a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and contrary to Section 80 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, in that the doing of the acts that constituted the said offences namely failing to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, insofar as was reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of its employees.” 

The Assistant Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, Mark Cullen, said of the case: “It is vital for employers to ensure that all works being undertaken by their employees are planned, organised, managed and conducted in a safe manner. Where there is a risk of serious injury, employers must take appropriate measures to avoid the need for manual handling of heavy loads. As can be seen from this case, failure to do so can lead to tragic outcomes.”