Latest news with #workplaceaccident
BreakingNews.ie
17 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (60s) dies in workplace accident in Co Cork
A man in his late 60s has died in a workplace accident in Macroom in Co Cork. The accident occurred at a family owned pallet company on Monday afternoon. Advertisement The emergency services were called to the scene and the employee was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where he was pronounced dead. The coroner has been notified and a postmortem examination will be completed at CUH. An inquest will take place at a later date. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has confirmed that a death occurred at a business premises in Co Cork. 'The HSA is aware of the fatal incident and has launched an investigation. As such, no further information is available at this time.' Advertisement Cork North West Fianna Fáil TD, Aindrias Moynihan, said that it was sad to hear of such a tragic event at a local place of work. 'You go to work to do business and you expect to come home safe. It is very tough for his work colleagues, family and anyone who knows him.' The Garda Press Office confirmed that gardai and emergency services attended at the scene of a fatal workplace accident in Macroom on Monday. "A male aged in his 60s was taken from the scene to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. "The Health and Safety Authority (HAS) has been notified and will conduct an examination.'
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- RNZ News
Contractor fined $70k for safety breach after forestry worker loses fingers
By Shannon Pitman, Open Justice reporter of The hauler involved in the incident which left a forestry worker seriously injured. Photo / Worksafe Photo: Supplied / Worksafe A seasoned forestry worker lost four fingers in a workplace accident, which ended a 45-year career that was marked by pride, satisfaction and no intention to retire. Now, Kohurau Contracting has been ordered to pay $150,000 and must publish an educational article about the dangers of untangling cable snarls in forestry operations. In August 2021, the worker - who has name suppression - was at a forestry site near Waipu, south of Whangārei, helping clear a cable that had not been wound correctly on to the drum. The experienced crew were packing up to relocate to another location but the tail line had over-spooled on to the drum, creating a "bird's nest" similar to which can occur on a fishing reel. At least 1200m of cable had to be pulled out in order to clear the bird's nest. The victim was guiding the rope back on to the drum using a hammer while seated beneath the tower. Another worker was operating a grapple loader to keep the cable elevated. During the operation, the stabiliser ram supporting the tower fractured, and a broken section - known as the spear - fell on to the victim, seriously injuring him. As a result, the victim was hospitalised for six weeks and had to have four fingers amputated. Kohurau was charged by WorkSafe for failing to ensure the health and safety of its workers and pleaded not guilty. A five-day judge-alone trial was held in the Dargaville District Court in November 2024, where several witnesses gave evidence including the victim and industry experts. WorkSafe's mechanical engineer, John Mains, stated that winching without guy ropes was unacceptable and the accident would not have occurred had the tower been properly secured. Kohurau's expert argued that guy ropes were unnecessary for the task and the force involved was minimal - claims Judge Peter Davey found inconsistent. The court also heard that Kohurau lacked a specific safe system for clearing birds' nests and relied heavily on the experience of its crew. Judge Davey concluded Kohurau breached its duties under the Health and Safety Act and found the company guilty of exposing workers to serious risk. This week at the Whangārei District Court the company was sentenced in the presence of its owner, Hamish John Owen. Kohurau's lawyer Daniel Robinson argued the company was insolvent and had suffered a loss of $1.3 million because of the accident. "Where do you get that from?" Judge Davey questioned before noting the company still had assets of around $400,000 and $250,000 in its bank account. Judge Davey did not accept the losses were from the accident and stated the company had been downsizing prior to the accident. Judge Davey repeatedly expressed his concern around whether reparation would be paid, to which Robinson assured him any amount ordered would be met. "My instructions sir, is we will be able to be pay but that is limited to the reparation order," Robinson responded. Robinson also submitted the absence of any industry guidelines for winding cables was a mitigating factor that should be applied to the companies' overall sentence. Judge Davey noted the significant impact the accident had on the victim. "He hasn't been able to return to work, he enjoyed the work, he had no plans of retiring," Judge Davey said. "He clearly took great pride in his work, took great satisfaction in his work and he was good at his job. "Despite what's happened to him, he nevertheless tries to stay positive." Judge Davey said the price of an emotional harm reparation order was an intuitive exercise and there was no way to put a figure on the suffering caused. "No amount of money can compensate the emotional harm that he has suffered." Judge Davey said Kohurau should have had a process in place to clear birds' nests and there was "a real risk he could have been killed". Kohurau, which has already paid the victim $10,000, was ordered to pay him a further $50,000. The company was also fined $70,000 and ordered to pay legal costs of $30,000. The court also issued a project order with two key commitments to be completed within 12 months. Kohurau must work in collaboration with the Forestry Industry Safety Council (FISC) and Forestry Industry Contractors Association (FICA) to develop guidance on winding in non-working ropes. It must also publish an article in NZ Forestry magazine highlighting the case to raise awareness and promote safer practices across the industry. "This project order is a way for Kohurau to take the lead on delivering initiatives that create genuine sector-wide improvements in forestry. We look forward to seeing the benefits that this industry-led guidance produces," WorkSafe spokesperson Mark Horgan said. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Prestwick Airport fined after worker fell to death
The publicly owned company that runs Prestwick Airport has been fined more than £144,000 for failures that led to a worker falling to his Dempsey, a member of the airport's ground handling team, died on 11 January 2023 when a faulty guardrail on a loading platform gave 59-year-old fell 10ft (3m) onto tarmac from a pallet loader positioned next to the Prestwick Airport Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation, having failed to ensure the pallet loader was maintained and in good repair. The government-owned company was fined £144,050, including a victim surcharge of £10, Dempsey had been repositioning the guardrail when it gave way. He died at the scene despite assistance from colleagues and investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that one of the guardrail posts had completely fractured, and that there were visible signs of significant corrosion, discolouration and flaking white paint around the area. Debbie Carroll, who leads health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: "Joseph Dempsey lost his life in circumstances which could have been avoided if Prestwick Airport had in place a suitable and adequate maintenance and inspection programme to ensure the equipment he was using was in a good state of repair."This prosecution should remind duty holders that a failure to fulfil their obligations can have fatal consequences and they will be held accountable for this failure."Graeme McMinn, HM principal inspector of health and safety, said: "Employers have an absolute legal duty to ensure that equipment they use at work is maintained in an efficient state and in good repair and full working order."This incident is a tragic reminder of what can result when that does not happen."Prestwick Airport has reviewed its safety procedures since the airport was taken into public ownership in 2013 after being bought for £1 by the Scottish government. Ministers have said their long-term ambition is to return the airport to private ownership, though a suitable bidder has yet to be found.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Scottish airport fined £144,000 for failures that led to death of employee
The company that runs Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been fined more than £144,000 for failures that led to a member of airport staff falling to his death when a guardrail gave way. Joseph Dempsey, an experienced member of the airport's ground handling team, died in the incident on January 11 2023. The 59-year-old had been preparing to unload cargo from an aircraft using a pallet loader. He had positioned the loader alongside the aircraft and was repositioning a guardrail when it suddenly gave way and he fell to the tarmac some 10 feet (three metres) below. Mr Dempsey's colleagues immediately went to his assistance and paramedics attempted CPR and advanced life support. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful and Mr Dempsey was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that one of the guardrail posts had completely fractured, and that there were visible signs of significant corrosion, discolouration and flaking white paint around the area. At Ayr Sheriff Court on June 25, Glasgow Prestwick Airport Ltd pled guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation, having failed to ensure the pallet loader was maintained and in good repair. At the same court on Thursday, the company was fined £144,050, including a victim surcharge of £10,050. Debbie Carroll leads on health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Speaking after the sentencing, she said: 'Joseph Dempsey lost his life in circumstances which could have been avoided if Prestwick Airport had in place a suitable and adequate maintenance and inspection programme to ensure the equipment he was using was in a good state of repair. 'This prosecution should remind duty holders that a failure to fulfil their obligations can have fatal consequences and they will be held accountable for this failure.' Metallurgical examination of the guardrail posts carried out during the investigation found differences in chemical composition, manufacturing, and wall thickness which indicated the posts were manufactured from two different tubing sections. The HSE found these welded sections were not a feature of the manufacture's original design, and appeared to have been modified while the loader was under the ownership of Prestwick Airport. The investigation also found the welds on both the guardrail posts contained defects which would allow moisture in, creating a corrosive environment and speeding up deterioration. It was also found that the maintenance programme in place at the time did not cover the parts of the guardrail where failure or deterioration could lead to health and safety risks. Graeme McMinn, HM principal inspector of health and safety, said: 'Employers have an absolute legal duty to ensure that equipment they use at work is maintained in an efficient state and in good repair and full working order. 'This incident is a tragic reminder of what can result when that does not happen.' Since the incident, Prestwick Airport has undertaken a review of all work at height, and checks of the guardrails on the platform loaders have been made part of the regular service and inspection schedule.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Scottish airport fined £144,000 for failures that led to death of employee
The company that runs Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been fined more than £144,000 for failures that led to a member of airport staff falling to his death when a guardrail gave way. Joseph Dempsey, an experienced member of the airport's ground handling team, died in the incident on January 11 2023. The 59-year-old had been preparing to unload cargo from an aircraft using a pallet loader. He had positioned the loader alongside the aircraft and was repositioning a guardrail when it suddenly gave way and he fell to the tarmac some 10 feet (three metres) below. Mr Dempsey's colleagues immediately went to his assistance and paramedics attempted CPR and advanced life support. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful and Mr Dempsey was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that one of the guardrail posts had completely fractured, and that there were visible signs of significant corrosion, discolouration and flaking white paint around the area. At Ayr Sheriff Court on June 25, Glasgow Prestwick Airport Ltd pled guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation, having failed to ensure the pallet loader was maintained and in good repair. At the same court on Thursday, the company was fined £144,050, including a victim surcharge of £10,050. Debbie Carroll leads on health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Speaking after the sentencing, she said: 'Joseph Dempsey lost his life in circumstances which could have been avoided if Prestwick Airport had in place a suitable and adequate maintenance and inspection programme to ensure the equipment he was using was in a good state of repair. 'This prosecution should remind duty holders that a failure to fulfil their obligations can have fatal consequences and they will be held accountable for this failure.' Metallurgical examination of the guardrail posts carried out during the investigation found differences in chemical composition, manufacturing, and wall thickness which indicated the posts were manufactured from two different tubing sections. The HSE found these welded sections were not a feature of the manufacture's original design, and appeared to have been modified while the loader was under the ownership of Prestwick Airport. The investigation also found the welds on both the guardrail posts contained defects which would allow moisture in, creating a corrosive environment and speeding up deterioration. It was also found that the maintenance programme in place at the time did not cover the parts of the guardrail where failure or deterioration could lead to health and safety risks. Graeme McMinn, HM principal inspector of health and safety, said: 'Employers have an absolute legal duty to ensure that equipment they use at work is maintained in an efficient state and in good repair and full working order. 'This incident is a tragic reminder of what can result when that does not happen.' Since the incident, Prestwick Airport has undertaken a review of all work at height, and checks of the guardrails on the platform loaders have been made part of the regular service and inspection schedule.
