Investigations begin as man killed in industrial accident

A number of investigations have been launched after the death of a man in an industrial accident at a wood processing plant near Waterford city yesterday afternoon.

The identity of the man, who is in his 20s, was not being revealed last night by gardaí as they were still notifying family members of the tragedy. However, it’s understood he was from the southeast region.

The incident happened at the SmartPly plant, a subsidiary of Coillte, near Belview Port in south Kilkenny, close to the Waterford boundary, at about 3pm.

It’s understood that the man was working near a crane which was loading logs at the time when he was hit by the crane, causing fatal injuries.

Gardaí from Waterford city attended the scene while an investigation was also launched by the Health and Safety Authority and the company itself.

SmartPly has operations in The Netherlands, the UK and in Ireland and makes a timber product called Oriented Strand Board, described as “an alternative to many plywoods”. The company is part of Coillte Panel Products, a division of Coillte, and uses local forests for its products.

When contacted last night, the company would only say that the fatal accident is “under investigation”.