Developers have a legal and moral duty to protect the safety of workers on building sites, Judge James McDonnell said yesterday after he was told there had been 13 building fatalities in Dublin since the beginning of the year.
He fined a company £4,200 arising out of an accident on an office block building site where a "banksman" - the ground-based guide to a crane driver - was seriously injured. The man was knocked over during the manoeuvring of a mould for a pre-cast concrete floor.
He escaped more serious injury because his clothing caught in the structure and prevented him from falling further.
Yesterday, the company responsible for the floor installation, Valleyside Construction Ltd, Merchant's Quay, Dublin, pleaded guilty to four summonses under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. It admitted failing to identify hazards, failing to carry out enough research into the operation undertaken and failing to ensure the safety and health of workers.
The accident happened at the Belfield Office Park, Beechill Road, Dublin, on April 21st, 1998.
The worker suffered a wound to his head requiring 14 stitches, broken ribs, bruising and other injuries which make it unlikely that he will work again.
Health and safety inspector Martin O'Dea said the operation involved lifting a larger than normal "table" structure - an aluminium and wooden mould used for pouring in concrete for the pre-cast floors. The accident could have been avoided with adequate planning. Judge James McDonnell said it was an indication of how serious these were being treated that the authorities had decided fatality cases should be heard at circuit court level. Developers had a moral and legal obligation for the safety of workers, he added.
He imposed fines totalling £4,200 and ordered the company to pay £1,000 legal costs and witnesses' expenses.