Kilmeague Company Fined After Man Struck And Killed By Rotating Robotic Arm

Monday, 26 May 2025 14:55

By Martin Osborne

Naas Circuit Court has fined N&C Enterprises Ltd. of Kilmeague, €75,000, along with an additional €4,057 in costs, following the fatal workplace accident.

A company in Kilmeague has been fined €75,000 after a man was was struck and killed by a rotating robotic arm.

Naas Circuit Court has fined N&C Enterprises Ltd. of Kilmeague, €75,000, along with an additional €4,057 in costs, following the fatal workplace accident.

The company, which distributes bagged and bulk stones, had previously pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation.

The case involved the death of Mr. Luis Borges, a Portuguese national and employee of N&C Enterprises Ltd., who was fatally injured while operating equipment under the company’s control.

Mr. Borges had entered a restricted area through a retrofitted gate that bypassed all of the plant’s integral safety protections.

He was struck and killed by a rotating robotic arm.

Mark Cullen, Assistant Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, said, “N&C Enterprises Ltd. failed in their duty to provide a safe place and system of work to Mr. Borges. In today’s workplaces it is not unusual for advanced technology and robotic equipment to be utilised."

He added: "Employers must ensure that all inbuilt safety protective devices are in good working order and that employees are not put in danger by unsafe work practices which bypass these crucial safety devices. In this case, the bypassing of these safety protective devices resulted in a fatal incident that tragically was entirely foreseeable and preventable.”