UCC guilty pleas over crane death

Guilty pleas were entered on behalf of UCC at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday in a Health & Safety Authority prosecution arising out of a fatal accident where a member of the college’s governing body died while working near a crane.

Frank McGrath, 58, died from extensive chest injuries sustained when the machine was being used for maintenance work on March 5, 2013.

There were four charges on the indictment against the university. Pleas were entered to two of them. The first charge against UCC was of failing to ensure, as far as was reasonably practicable, the safety, health, and welfare at work of their employees in that they did fail to manage and conduct work activity, specifically the movement and operation of a mobile elevated work platform vehicle being guided by a banksman through the grounds of UCC, a consequence of which Francis McGrath died.

The second guilty plea was entered to the charge of failing to perform systems of work that were planned so as to be safe and without risk to health, which resulted in the death of Mr McGrath.

Prosecution senior counsel Marjorie Farrelly asked for an adjournment of sentencing to November 16.