Man dies after site trench collapses

FIVE workers have lost their lives in one of the blackest weeks for workplace safety this year.

Gardaí were last night at the scene of a fatality in Kenmare, Co Kerry. Inspectors and officers from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) were also on their way. A local man, believed to be in his 50s, died when a trench collapsed on him at a building site in a housing development at Gortamullen sometime after 2.30pm.

A Polish colleague working in the trench at the time was injured. It is understood he suffered a broken leg. In separate incidents last week two workers were electrocuted to death and two men drowned, bringing the workplace death toll this year to 64, the (HSA) said.

Chief executive, Tom Beegan, said: “We really are now appealing to people to take responsibility for their own behaviour because clearly the number of fatalities we’ve had this year is too high and the number of injuries we’ve had this year is too high.”

On Wednesday last, a South African man died after he was struck with 20,000 volts while working on a new house in Co Leitrim. On Friday, another man, believed to be a foreign national, was electrocuted on a building site in Mountrath, Co Laois. On Sunday, a man’s body was recovered from an effluent water tank at the Carrick-on-Suir Glanbia plant, and in Donegal a labourer died after falling into a slurry pit. Also last week, two workers were seriously injured in falls at building sites in Dublin site and in Ballincollig, Co Cork. The HSA urged workers to take precautions while working with electricity and to be aware of reduced visibility from poor weather and winter darkness.

Mr Deegan said: “Clearly, people are not taking the message seriously. Certainly the big employers on the construction side are playing their part but obviously what we need here is a fundamental behavioural change and we’re not getting that right now.”

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act firms are obliged to provide information and training for workers and face fines of up to €3 million if they are convicted of safety breaches.