The family of a 28-year-old man killed in an incident at a concrete plant say his loss has left them with a life sentence.
Barry Gargan from Drogheda, Co Louth, died of severe head injuries in the incident at Kilsaran Concrete on 6 September 2011.
The jury at an inquest into his death returned a verdict of death due to an industrial accident.
His mother, Concepta Gargan, said her son had a heart of gold.
He was my child, I will never get over his loss
"We would ask anyone with concerns about safety at work, please report them. Don't take risks. No short-cut for profit is worth losing a life," Mrs Gargan added.
Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Gargan died after he was crushed beneath a cleaning arm inside a safety cage at a Kilsaran plant in Piercetown, Dunboyne, Co Meath.
He was employed as a forklift driver but assisted in operating a machine used for the production of wet cast concrete slabs.
The machine usually operated automatically but in the mornings it was operated manually to produce a specific style of kerb.
Working inside the safety gate, Mr Gargan was trapped between the cleaning arm and the vibrating station as the machinery went into motion.
Previous complaints about the system had been made by staff including Mr Gargan.
A near miss incident involving the machinery had gone unreported, the inquest heard.
A Health and Safety Authority investigation into the incident found that the wet cast machinery was not being used for the purpose it was designed and that Mr Gargan had no training for its use.
Kilsaran Concrete was fined €1 million at the Court of Appeal in relation to Mr Gargan's death last April.
