Five injured in Dublin prison roof collapse

by Michael Gordon



Eire's Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has begun investigations after five building workers on a John Sisk & Son project were injured last week in Dublin when a precast concrete roof deck collapsed.

The accident occurred on a £25 million extension to Wheatfield Prison, in Clondalkin. Construction workers were pouring concrete on the deck when it collapsed. The five workers fell nearly 10m to the ground.

Initial concern was that workers may have been buried under the collapsed roof deck although all siteworkers were accounted for.

Sisk brought in a telescopic crane, with a capacity to carry up to 300 tonnes, to lift the collapsed deck.

The project, a new remand prison and courthouse for the Department of Justice, designed by the Office of Public Works Architectural Services, would have been exempt from the normal planning process.

Kevin Kelly, managing director of John Sisk & Son, said: "The investigations are still on-going, but we are not quite sure what the cause of the accident was, luckily nobody was seriously injured.

"This has caused very little damage to the building, but it could be a number of weeks before we have an explanation for the disaster, because the designs have to be examined in detail."

Tom Kitt, Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, said: "The industry must take immediate action to ensure the safety of those working in the sector. The main contractors must pay increased attention to the activities of subcontractors operating on their sites."

The Minister is set to meet with the key players on the worker and employer sides of the industry to discuss safety in the sector.

Kitt announced that he intended to accelerate the negotiations on further resources for the HSA currently taking place between his officials and the Department of Finance.

He said: "No amount of regulation or inspection would eliminate the accident level in the industry without the combined and active involvement of clients, contractors and workers."

The Authority is setting up a special task force of inspectors to improve standards. Otherwise, the Authority will adopt a policy of routinely initiating enforcement actions for any observed breaches of the regulations.