Garage owner faces closure over nude calendars

A GARAGE owner who works on his own has been ordered by the Health and Safety Authority to remove calendars featuring photos of topless women or face possible censure.

Following a visit from an inspector, the Limerick businessman was contacted by letter warning him to remove the photographs of “nude/topless women” immediately. The letter claimed the calendars contained a “display of pornographic material at the place of work”, which is not allowed.

A spokesperson from the Health and Safety Authority confirmed it had written to the 62-year-old businessman advising him of a “dignity at work issue”.

The calendars were sent to the man’s repair workshop by a number of international corporations, including Pirelli.

The garage owner, who asked not to be named, said he was stunned by the letter, as the public do not have access to his back- street premises where he works on his own.

He said he has run the one-man enterprise for over 40 years and had never a health and safety issue and never had an accident in the workplace.

“Over the years I have received calendars from international companies such as Pirelli, Boart Europe, Monark, Mintex. They are fine calendars and feature very tastefully taken pictures of topless models. How anybody could describe them as pornographic beats me.

“They’ve given me until May to remove the calendars and I presume if I don’t they’ll close me down.

“If this is to be the way the law is being enforced then the newspapers on sale in this country which carry topless women every day would have to be banned.”

Former Fine Gael leader Michael Noonan said the HSA warning was overzealous.

“This man works on his own in his own business and as far as I know no complaint was made. It appears to be excessively overzealous.

“We now have a situation in Limerick, where we have no minister, no bishop, no hurling team and you can’t even hang a Pirelli calendar on your wall.

“I would be of the view that there are health and safety issues of greater magnitude in Limerick.

“There were serious health and safety issues involving the construction industry during the boom.

“I don’t know what the workload of the health and safety authority is now,” Mr Noonan added.