Company fined €100,000 following death of worker at a concrete manufacturing premises

20th March 2024

Esker Readymix ULC, a quarry and concrete manufacturing company headquartered in Athenry, Co. Galway, has today (Wednesday 20th March) been fined €100,000 plus costs of €12,939 in Galway Circuit Court before Judge Brian O’Callaghan. The prosecution arose following the death of a worker in September 2020 who died at the scene when he was knocked down in the yard of their concrete manufacturing plant in Athenry.

Esker Readymix ULC pleaded guilty to one count of failing to ensure that appropriate traffic rules were drawn up and followed when work equipment, a loading shovel, was in use at the place of work where pedestrians were also moving, a breach of Regulation 41(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work General Application Regulations, 2007, contrary to section 77(2)(c) of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005.

According to Mark Cullen, Assistant Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority,

“Vehicles in the workplace, particularly heavy vehicles and machinery, pose a serious hazard to anyone working in their vicinity, employers should endeavour to segregate pedestrian and vehicular movements . It is incumbent upon all managers and duty holders to ensure a risk assessment for the work activity has been undertaken and that the appropriate control measure are implemented”.

ENDS.