A Kerry company has been fined €50,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of workplace health and safety regulations.
At Tralee Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Catherine Staines imposed the fine on Innisfallen Inns Limited for an incident that occurred almost six years ago.
A man, who was carrying out work in the Killarney premises, fell down a lift shaft.
The case arose following an incident at a premises in Killarney then known as Mustang Sallys Niteclub on July 25th, 2017.
A person, not an employee of the defendant, Innisfallen Inns Limited, was carrying out work at the premises.
He opened a door in an unlit room.
This door was an access door to a lift shaft.
There was no lift car present and the man fell down the lift shaft.
The investigation determined there was no interlocking devices which prevented the opening of the doors to the shaft when the lift car was not present.
The probe further determined that the employee of the defendant who operated the lift was exposed to a risk of electric shock and/or electrocution.
Innisfallen Inns pleaded guilty to breaches of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 as well as contravening 2007 regulations.
The interim CEO of the Health and Safety Authority Mark Cullen said, “Employers have a duty to ensure that workers are protected from any potential hazards that arise in their workplace. Failure to do so in this case has regrettably led to a serious incident.”
