Councillors urge pothole rules overhaul after workers suspended
It follows the suspension of three Cork County Council staff, who, on their own initiative, filled a pothole they thought posed a danger to motorists.
The workers stopped to fill potholes on Bothar Guidel in Carrigaline, Co Cork, while on their way back to their depot early on Wednesday, Mar 13.
A Health and Safety Authority inspector spotted them working without a proper traffic management system in place.
He flagged his concerns with the council, which suspended the men on full pay pending an investigation into an alleged breach of health and safety regulations.
The workers have a combined 90 years’ experience and each has an unblemished career record.
A source close to one of them said he and his colleagues are devastated by what has happened.
They could face mandatory safety retraining, loss of pay, or even dismissal if they are found to have seriously breached regulations.
Councillors, who branded the situation “health and safety gone mad”, united yesterday to call for an overhaul of the health and safety regulations governing road repairs.
Cllr Deirdre Forde (FG) said the workers were doing their best and that legislation must take account of health and safety concerns while recognising the fact that road repair funding and manpower levels are down.
“While health and safety rules are important, they should be more flexible and less restrictive for workers on the ground.
“I am now calling on the Health and Safety Authority, the Road Safety Authority, and the Association of City and County Managers to sit down and examine the issues involved.
“We have to draft new protocols, or relax the legislation, to come up with proposals that can protect workers and road users, while getting the job done.
“If we have to have all the T’s crossed and I’s dotted before we fill potholes, the potholes will be breeding like rabbits before we can get to them. The job would just not get done.”
Party colleague Cllr John A Collins backed her: “The law is the law and I accept that, but maybe the law needs to be changed.”
Cllr Tim Lombard (FG) said the workers were being punished for showing initiative. “People are looking for a more economic local authority and then you have this happen to three diligent men who were just doing their job,” he said.
“If they did break the law, they did so while trying to do their best for people.
“Now we have a scared workforce who are paranoid to do anything unless all the paperwork is in place.”
County manager Martin Riordan declined to comment in detail on the case while the investigation is ongoing. He has told councillors the council must follow health and safety legislation.
The Health and Safety Authority is investigating the workplace death of a council worker in Cork last November.
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