Retained firefighter wins €15,000 WRC award over safety complaint

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Workplace Relations Commission upheld Cian Donohoe’s complaint that he was penalised after raising a safety concern about missing firefighting equipment, and awarded him €15,000 in compensation. Donohoe is a part-time retained firefighter with Cavan County Fire Service.

The adjudicator found that Donohoe raised a safety complaint when he reported to the chief fire officer that his gloves and torch had been taken and said he believed Station Officer Joey McDonald was responsible. The adjudicator also found that McDonald’s words amounted to coercion or intimidation and that Donohoe had suffered a detriment under the legislation.

The adjudicator dismissed some aspects of Donohoe’s complaints. The award concerned penalisation under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.