Courts / Dublin / Report

Food storage company to be sentenced for health and safety breach leading to death of employee

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, VF Coldstores Ltd pleaded guilty to health and safety failings that caused the death of warehouse supervisor Robert Ceremuga, 32, on 28 November 2013. Ceremuga was killed instantly when a racking unit holding 36 tonnes of food collapsed onto him after an accidental impact with pallets on a forklift that had been stopped beside the shelving. An engineer's report attributed the collapse to the forklift's impact, and the Health and Safety Authority found that the forklift operator, employed three weeks earlier, lacked the appropriate licence and training, and that the racking had been overloaded. VF Coldstores had a safety statement and risk assessment, but the operator had not been trained. The company has offered to pay the Director of Prosecutions' costs and has not challenged the engineer's report. The court adjourned the case to 6 May for a fine to be determined.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Food storage company to be sentenced for health and safety breach leading to death of employee. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• November 28, 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 6 Adjournment
• 2016-04-13 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report