Cork County Council fined €50k over fatal tree-felling accident

Cork County Council was ordered to pay €50,000 yesterday for a health and safety offence arising out of the investigation into the death of a workman during tree-felling more than three years ago.

Michael O’Donovan, 44, a father of three from Aghabullogue, Co Cork, and an employee of Cork County Council, was killed while working on a compound off Carr’s Hill in Novem- ber 2012.

Judge Séan Ó Donnabháin said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: “This is a most unfortunate and sad case in which a man in the course of his work lost his life.