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Monaghan and Cork deaths following workplace accidents
Coleman Legal LLP
Mar 15, 2018

Monaghan and Cork deaths following workplace accidents

Gardai have reported the death of a man in County Monaghan yesterday morning after a workplace incident led to him falling off a roof. The 50 year old male’s body was removed to a hospital in Navan where a post mortem is due to be carried out. The incident is currently being investigated by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and GardaÍ. The local coroner has been informed of the death.

This comes on the same day that another workplace fatality sadly occurred in Middleton, Co. Cork, where a 49 year old man was fatally injured when some pallets fell on him. The company where this man worked released the following statement:

The company expressed its deepest sympathy to his family and said they “are offering all the support available to those affected by this tragic accident.

When a death occurs as the result of an accident in the workplace, it is a legal requirement for an inquest to be conducted in order for the exact cause of death to be established. A post mortem is also necessary in many cases. The inquest is set up to establish the cause of death and not necessarily a means of identifying who is responsible for the accident and death. The inquest will be managed by a coroner.

The employer has a duty of care to their employee, as supported by The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations, 2007.

Report on Fatal injuries arising from accidents at work in the United Kingdom 2017

In a recent UK based report the Health Service Executive (HSE UK) created a report entitled Fatal injuries arising from accidents at work in the United Kingdom 2017“.

The report’s headline figures were that 137 workers were killed at work in 2016/17 and 92 members of the public were killed by work-related activities Localised trends were also considered within this report. Localised trends were also considered within the report. The industries in which the highest number of fatalities occurred were construction, manufacturing and agriculture. A 97% majority of fatalities were male. Types of accident resulting in fatality included workers being struck by a moving vehicle, falls from a height, being trapped by something collapsing or overturning and contact with moving machinery.

This report places great emphasis and onus upon the employer to ensure worker safety and appropriate precautions in the workplace with the view of one death in the workplace is one too many.

The HSA Ireland reported that 47 people died of work related injuries in Ireland last year, which is up by one fatality from the previous year. The results of the report showed that elderly farmers were the most at risk group (with 14 being killed last year while working). After agriculture, the transport and construction industries had the highest number of fatalities with 6 cases respectively.


RELEVANT ARTICLES

https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2018/0312/946947-monaghan-death-workplace/

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2018/0312/946876-midleton/

 

 

Keith Rolls Partner Coleman Legal LLP

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