A Co Cork steel fabrication company was fined €50,000 for breaches of health and safety legislation.

The case was heard at Waterford Circuit Court where the fine was imposed on Agri Line Construction Limited after an incident which occurred on 27 February 2015 on a farm building re-roofing project at Boolattin, Kilrossanty, Co Waterford.

An employee of the company suffered serious personal injury when he fell approximately five metres through a roof while installing roof sheets on an agricultural building.

There were no fall protection or fall prevention measures in place at the time of the incident.

Wool packing

Meanwhile, a Co Roscommon wool processor has been fined €6,000 for breaches of health and safety legislation.

The case was heard at Roscommon District Court where the fine was imposed Farrells (1992) Limited, following an investigation into an accident involving an employee on 6 July 2018.

The employee suffered a serious arm injury while working at a wool-packing machine.

HSA inspections

In agriculture, inspections focused on tractors and machinery, livestock handling and working at height during 2019.

The Health and Safety Authourity (HSA) recorded 11,502 users of farmsafely.com in 2019. The website provides farm risk assessments to dairy, beef, sheep, deer, and tillage farmers.

With 1,684 inspections completed in 2019, campaigns focused on livestock calving, machinery and working at height. Similarly, 53 investigations were completed in agriculture.

Draft all-terrain vehicle safety regulations were prepared and sent for public consultation by the HSA on foot of a ministerial request to address the high levels of quad bike accidents and fatalities especially in the agriculture sector.

Inspection campaigns:

  • Livestock handling: 636 inspections.
  • Tractors, machinery and quads: 716 inspections.
  • Working at height: 208 inspections.
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