Kerry company fined €400,000 following fatal workplace incident
Dairymaster Unlimited Company were fined €400,000 on July 27 in Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
A Kerry-based company was convicted and fined a total of €400,000 following a fatal incident that occurred in Limerick in 2020.
Dairymaster Unlimited Company was convicted and fined by Judge Simon McAleese at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on Monday after pleading guilty to breaches of safety, health, and welfare at work legislation.
The case arose following a fatal work-related incident which occurred on a dairy farm in County Limerick on July 30, 2020. The farmer was fatally injured by a pneumatic-powered parlour back entry gate, designed and manufactured by Dairymaster Unlimited Company.
The gate was used to control animals in the milking parlour, creating a separation between the holding and standing area and keeping the cows in position while being milked.
Dairymaster Unlimited Company had previously pleaded guilty to six charges in breach of safety, health and welfare at work legislation.
Judge McAleese imposed a fine of €200,000 on the breach of Section 16(3) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 contrary to Section 77(2)(a) and a fine of €200,000 on the breach of Section 16(1)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 contrary to Section 77(9)(a). The remaining counts were taken into consideration.
Chief Executive Officer at the HSA, Mark Cullen, said: “This tragic incident demonstrates the vital importance of ensuring machinery is properly designed, tested and supplied with adequate safety information.
Manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure their products are safe for use at work. The consequences of failing to do so can be devastating.”
