23/10/2015
Quinn Building Products Fined For H&S Breaches
Quinn Building Products, based in Fermanagh, has been fined after previously pleading guilty to two health and safety breaches that resulted in the death of an employee in 2012.
The firm was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of over £7,700 at Omagh Crown Court.
The case arose following an investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) into a fatal accident which occurred in the company's precast factory at Gortmullan, Co Fermanagh.
On 13 September 2012, Brian Óg Maguire, a 24-year-old employee, was tensioning a steel rope, measuring approximately 125 metres, in preparation for the manufacture of precast cement slabs.
During the tensioning, the steel rope came adrift at one end and travelled towards Mr Maguire who was positioned in the safety cage.
The steel rope was forced behind Mr Maguire where it struck an object. The rope splayed and two of the individual strands struck Mr Maguire causing fatal injuries.
A HSENI investigation revealed that three wedge segments which grip the steel rope showed signs of wear and damage. In addition, the tapered barrel, in which the grips were positioned, was worn beyond the manufacturer's recommended limits.
This resulted in the rope gradually slipping through the grips during tensioning and being released with a force estimated to have been in the region of six tonnes.
The company did not have suitable arrangements in place to check the grips and barrels were suitable to use, nor did it have a proper system to manage the use and rotation of these safety critical items.
The firm was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of over £7,700 at Omagh Crown Court.
The case arose following an investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) into a fatal accident which occurred in the company's precast factory at Gortmullan, Co Fermanagh.
On 13 September 2012, Brian Óg Maguire, a 24-year-old employee, was tensioning a steel rope, measuring approximately 125 metres, in preparation for the manufacture of precast cement slabs.
During the tensioning, the steel rope came adrift at one end and travelled towards Mr Maguire who was positioned in the safety cage.
The steel rope was forced behind Mr Maguire where it struck an object. The rope splayed and two of the individual strands struck Mr Maguire causing fatal injuries.
A HSENI investigation revealed that three wedge segments which grip the steel rope showed signs of wear and damage. In addition, the tapered barrel, in which the grips were positioned, was worn beyond the manufacturer's recommended limits.
This resulted in the rope gradually slipping through the grips during tensioning and being released with a force estimated to have been in the region of six tonnes.
The company did not have suitable arrangements in place to check the grips and barrels were suitable to use, nor did it have a proper system to manage the use and rotation of these safety critical items.
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