Irish recycling company fined €650k after death of 'insufficiently trained' worker at plant

An Irish recycling company has been fined €650,000 following the death of a worker in a workplace incident at its Finglas plant in Co Dublin.

Irish Packaging Recycling Unlimited Company was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Court on Thursday, October 30, after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

The case followed a fatal incident on August 18, 2021, when a worker - who the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said was "insufficiently trained" - was operating a forklift truck that overturned.

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There was no supervision in place at the time, and the worker was not wearing the seatbelt provided on the forklift, the HSA said.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed a fine of €650,000 for one breach of Section 8(1) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, relating to the company's failure to manage and conduct work activities to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of an employee.

A second charge under the 2007 General Application Regulations was taken into consideration.

Mark Cullen, Chief Executive Officer of the HSA, said: "This tragic incident highlights the critical importance of appropriate training, supervision, and the use of safety equipment when operating machinery.

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Employers have a legal and moral duty to ensure that work activities are planned, organised, and carried out in a safe manner. The failure to provide adequate training and supervision in this case had devastating consequences," he added.

"I recommend all employers to review their safety procedures and ensure that they are compliant with health and safety legislation to prevent devastating incidents such as this one."

The HSA said the case serves as a reminder of the responsibilities employers have to protect their workers by ensuring training, supervision, and safety measures are in place for all machinery operations.