Action over death at UCC

A prosecution is under way following the death of a man in a workplace accident at University College Cork (UCC).

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has confirmed that the DPP has initiated legal proceedings after examining the HSA’s investigation file in relation to the death of Frank McGrath on campus in March 2013.

The news emerged at Cork City Coroner’s Court yesterday as the previously adjourned inquest in to Mr McGrath’s death was listed for mention.

HSA inspector Gerard McSweeney, who was not directly involved in the HSA probe into the circumstances of Mr McGrath’s death, told city coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, that legal proceedings are under way and that the case is listed for hearing at Cork District Court next month.

He applied for and was granted a further adjournment of the inquest pending the completion of the legal action.

A popular member of the governing board of UCC, Mr McGrath, 58, from Sarsfield Terrace, Richmond Hill, Cork, died on March 5, 2013, of massive chest injuries due to blunt force trauma to the chest following an incident on the university campus.

Mr McGrath, who worked as a member of the buildings and estates department since 1986, was working with a cherry picker machine on the maintenance of campus lighting at the time of the incident.

The HSA probe was conducted under the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

HSA inspectors told the previously adjourned inquest that their investigation into the incident was “very complex”.

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