Suspended jail terms and fines totalling €250,000 have been imposed on those involved in a construction site accident that resulted in the death of a worker.
Darren Kelly, an employee of Kildownet Utilites Ltd, was pouring a basement floor at an apartment development in Diamond Valley, Dargle Road in Bray, Co Wicklow when a truck mounted concrete pump touched 10,000 volt overhead power lines.
The Project Supervisor Construction Stage at the building site was Cormac Building Contractors Ltd.
Joseph Byrne, site manager with Cormac Building Contractors, was found guilty of a breach of Section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act and received a suspended jail term of three years.
Brian Molloy, Director of Kildownet Utilities, was found guilty of Section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and received a suspended jail sentence of two years.
Cormac was also fined €150,000 and Kildownet fined €100,000 under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act.
The court case had heard that the two companies had been warned about the possible dangers of the power lines by the Health & Safety Authority, the ESB and safety advisors to both companies.
Tom Beegan, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, said the result would send out a strong message to employers and supervisors to take safety issues seriously.
