Two water safety audits carried out in Carrick
"Where there's water, there's tragedy," said councillor
Cllr Finola Armstrong- McGuire asked for an outline of the safety audit conducted recently and its implementation at the riverside area in Carrick-on-Shannon.
The audit was carried out by the Carrick-on-Shannon District Engineer, Darragh O'Boyle and Irish Public Bodies (IPB) insurance.
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire had asked that the Council work with the Carrick-on-Shannon Rapid River Responders in conducting an analysis of safety needs in this location.
A report by the Roads office noted that in 2023, the district office carried out two water safety audits along the entire queue area of Carrick on Shannon (from the Aras slipway to the Linear Park).
Water Safety Ireland and IPB carried out separate audits and produced conclusions of a similar nature.
A number of issues were raised on the public areas of the waterfront, which ranged from trip hazards to open water frontage and the district office carried out the remedial works as outlined in the reports which constituted erection of signage, installation of new handrail systems and removal of trip hazards. All existing handrail systems along the public water frontage have appropriate signage.
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire said that “the tragedies are absolutely terrible and where there's water, there's tragedy.”