On 12th October 2012 at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court, a company was fined €25,000.00 in respect of the death of a young boy aged three. The fatality occurred at Drogheda Town Quay when the child, who was walking with his father, was crushed by a 22 metre long timber fir pole. The timber pole had rolled from a stack adjacent to where other poles were being loaded onto an articulated trailer.
The company, Patrick Monahan (Drogheda) Limited, pleaded guilty to an offence under section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 for failing to protect the safety of people other than its employees.
After the hearing, Mr Martin O’Halloran Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority stressed the importance of employers paying attention to the risks to health and safety of members of the public who have access to a workplace. He said work should not take place until people have moved away from the area and the hazard has been removed.