Two companies have received fines totalling €225,000 for health and safety violations which leading to the drowning of a Clare Stonemason and his Kerry colleague in 2015
29 year-old Bryan Whelan from O’Briensbridge In Clare and 36 year-old T.J O’Herlihy from Castleisland in Kerry died while carrying out repairs at Thomond Bridge on the River Shannon on August 29th 2015.
A safety mechanism preventing weight overloading on the crane failed causing a wire to snap which sent the steel cage into the River Shannon.
Mr O’Herlihy and Mr Whelan, who were both wearing life jackets, were also each harnessed into the cage and failed to get out of the structure and died under water.
26 year old Paul Murphy, from Askeaton, Co. Limerick, who was working alongside Mr Herlihy and Mr Whelan on the platform, managed to escape and was rescued in the water some time later.
Nationwide Crane Hire Limited on the Dock Road in Limerick were fined €200,000 while Palfinger Ireland Limited which operates from Tullamore in Offaly were fined €25,000
