Courts / Dublin / Report
Contractors fined €250k in workplace fatality case
Summary
Ganson Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, based in Balbriggan, pleaded guilty to two counts relating to the fatal June 2019 accident at St Oliver Plunkett National School, Malahide, where worker John Joe McAfee was crushed by a falling steel structure. The company admitted failure to protect employees from risk and to coordinate safe‑working procedures. The court noted that McAfee's steel frames were unstable and unanchored, and a site engineer had left early despite a contract to supervise. Ganson subcontracted the work, and the chain of subcontractors ultimately placed McAfee on a mobile platform that collapsed. The judge, considering guilty pleas and cooperation with the Health and Safety Authority, fined Ganson €250,000, payable within six months, and expressed deep sympathy for McAfee's family, who suffered ongoing grief and financial hardship after his death.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Contractors fined €250k in workplace fatality case. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- June 3, 2019 Incident
- 2025-02-07 Publication
Why: He said Ganson was a "reasonably big firm" and he would hand down a substantial fine "because it failed in its responsibility to make sure other parties did their job properly". CNI source report
Places mentioned
- Balbriggan
- Balbriggan Business Park
- Dublin
- Malahide
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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