Latest news with #Carrigtwohill
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Investigation into death of man at Stryker plant still ongoing after two years
An investigation by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) into the death of a contract worker at a Cork factory over two years ago is still ongoing, an inquest has heard. John Murphy (41), a married father from Condonstown, Watergrasshill, Co Cork, sustained third-degree burns across 75 per cent of his body after a suspected explosion at the US medical device manufacturer Stryker's plant in Anngrove, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork on April 18th, 2023. Advertisement He died from his injuries almost two months later on June 9th, 2023, in the specialist burns unit in St James's Hospital in Dublin where he had been transferred after originally being treated at Cork University Hospital for 24 hours. Another work colleague of the deceased was also injured in the workplace accident. Mr Murphy was working for a facilities management company, Apleona, on the roof of the Stryker factory at the time of the fatal incident. He was able to make it down off the roof but became unresponsive a short time later and never regained consciousness before his death. Advertisement An inspector with the HSA, Frank Kearns, told a brief sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court on Wednesday that the circumstances of Mr Murphy's death were still under investigation. Asked by the coroner, Clare Keane, if there was a particular reason why the matter was still with the HSA, Mr Kearns said he was just aware that it was still under investigation but confirmed a file on the case would be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The HSA inspector noted the death had taken place in 2023 but added that such cases 'do take a lot of time.' Mr Kearns said he would ensure that Mr Murphy's family, who did not attend the latest proceedings, would be notified of the outcome of the hearing. Advertisement Dr Keane granted the application by the HSA for a six-month adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 (1) of the Coroners Act as criminal proceedings are being considered. In a newspaper interview earlier this year, the deceased's family outlined how they were heartbroken at not knowing when they will get closure from his death. Mr Murphy's parents and siblings said no family should have to wait so long for answers over the death of a loved one following a workplace tragedy. 'We have no closure. That is all we want. We are two years waiting for answers. We don't want to still be waiting for them at John's third or fourth anniversaries,' said his mother, Eileen. Advertisement In March 2024, Mr Murphy's family initiated High Court proceedings against Stryker Ireland Limited and Apleona Ireland Limited over his death. A High Court judge also granted their application to have a legal representative attend an engineering inspection of the factory. Meanwhile, trade union Siptu said 'grave health and safety concerns' have been raised about Stryker's operations in Cork following another fire at one of its facilities last week. Siptu spokesperson, Neil McGowan, said the trade union was calling on the US company's chief executive, Kevin Lobo, to intervene at the highest level to ensure that a meeting between local management and worker representatives took place. Advertisement Concerns have been expressed about claims that an automatic alarm system failed to sound following a fire at Stryker's Tullagreen plant in the IDA Business Park in Carrigtwohill on August 6. No injuries were sustained during the incident and all staff were safely evacuated from the building. 'This latest fire highlights a deeply troubling pattern over a number of years at the Stryker plants in Carrigtwohill,' said Mr McGowan. The company, which began operations in Ireland in 1998, now employs 4,100 staff across six locations in Cork. Siptu said its members have been raising health and safety concerns with Styrker about its plants in Carrigtwohill since 2019.
Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Irish Times
Gardaí investigate discovery of bodies of couple (80s) in their Cork home
Gardaí have begun an investigation to try to establish what led to the deaths of an elderly couple whose bodies were found in their house on the outskirts of Cork city on Monday evening. The bodies of the couple, who were both in their 80s, were found in the house in Glounthaune, between Cork and Carrigtwohill, by relatives when they called to the house at about 5pm. The relatives broke down the door when they got no reply and discovered two bodies near the stairs. They immediately alerted the gardaí who cordoned off the scene. According to a garda source, there is nothing at this stage to suggest that the couple were the victims of foul play, but they are keeping an open mind as to what may have happened to them. READ MORE 'We tested the house for gas but there was no evidence of any gas leak there,' said the source. 'We don't know at this stage what happened, but it doesn't appear as if they were the victims of foul play.' Garda forensic experts are due to carry out a technical examination of the scene on Tuesday while gardaí hope post-mortem examinations will help explain what happened to the couple. Gardaí have begun door-to-door inquiries and have established the couple spoke to someone as recently as Sunday. They have also begun harvesting CCTV footage from the area.
Irish Examiner
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Joxer's long-term plan comes together for Waterford
Waterford manager James 'Joxer' O'Connor always believed that his minor hurling project would produce results in year three. At the end of 2024, he only had one championship win to show from nine games. 'I'm pig-headed like that to be honest with you! If I think something is going to work, I'll stick with it. I believed that I had the players to win. At no stage did I say to myself 'you know what, I made a bad decision here, I should get out.' Never. If anything, I was more bull-headed after last year.' The position wasn't on his radar whatsoever until county board chairman Sean Michael O'Regan made an enquiry three years ago. 'He was the man that set this ball rolling. He rang me one day and asked me would I be interested. To be honest, it was one thing I never envisaged myself doing. I always saw myself as an adult trainer. I thought I might be too hard on younger lads. "In fairness to Sean he said 'we'll give you everything you need to do this job.' The man stood over it 100%.' The board stayed loyal through thick and thin. 'There were some tough days. It wasn't all plain sailing by any means. The first year, we won no match. The second year, we won a game and this year, we're in an All-Ireland. I'm delighted that they've stuck with me and hopefully, we'll have silverware at the end of it.' An All-Ireland minor title would be the pinnacle of his coaching career. Back in 2011, he helped Carrigtwohill to their first Cork senior hurling title in 93 years. The Lismore man recently led Fr O'Neill's and Shamrocks Ballyhale to All-Ireland club finals but lost both. "Three All-Irelands in six years is not bad going. All I have to do now is win one! I'll be happy then.' The question on everyone's lips after the semi-final win over Kilkenny was: what happened the team bus? 'I'm not really going to go into it. A bit of a logistics problem. We got to the match, we kept our timeframe that we set which was brilliant. If anything, it took away a bit of the pressure.' The backroom team brought the starting 15 up in cars from Carriganore. 'We shoved them into the cars and off we went! The bus was late in coming and they picked up the rest of them. They were 40 minutes behind us. Fellas were amused going up in cars with the management. It was funny for the lads. They enjoyed it; I probably didn't! The main thing is we won. Once we win, I don't care what way we travel.' Will they go by bus or by car this time around? 'We'll plan for the bus but we'll have the cars ready if needs be!' Sean Power was Waterford minor manager the last time the Irish Press Cup crossed Rice Bridge in 2013. Seven days out from the final against Galway, he also had to deal with a stroke of bad luck. 'All of them got new gear. William Hahessy got new boots, new socks, everything. The Sunday before, he went out just to hit a few balls and run around and he twisted his ankle in his garden. William Hahessy was central to everything we did at number two. So, Hahessy's ankle was out like a balloon on the Sunday. Brendan McCann was our team doctor. McCann looked at it and very soon after he said 'No way in a week will he be ok.' "We said we'd do a fitness test on the Thursday. Peter Hogan was the baby of the group, he was just gone 16. We put Peter on Hahessy to run him and twist him and turn him. Brendan McCann said 'I'll eat my hat if he passes this, lads.' Peter went at him and William Hahessy tore into him like William Hahessy does at corner back. I remember Kieran O'Gorman turning and saying 'Doc, I hope you brought red sauce to eat your hat!' Sure enough Hahessy was ready for Sunday.' The homecoming was unforgettable. 'Monday on the Mall in Waterford was incredible. It's something that will stick with me to the day I die. When we went over the bridge into Dungarvan that night, in the dark, it was like the Wild West! It was like a rock concert!' Twelve years on, the Mount Sion man will be on co-commentary duty for WLR alongside Kieran O'Connor. 'I see a lot of similarities. I see a group of forwards that are lethal. A very exciting team, they play with a bit of purity that we like to see. The semi-final was as good a game as you would see at any grade."
Irish Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
WRC will hear blind man's discrimination claim against Re-Turn
Re-Turn Ireland has failed in an attempt to have a discrimination case brought by a blind man thrown out at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The tribunal found it is 'very clear' that the bottle deposit return manager 'determines how the scheme will work' and that the complainant had made out an arguable case that the body is providing a service. The claimant, Pat McCarthy, has alleged he is disadvantaged by the scheme because he cannot read the markings indicating whether or not a drink container is included in the scheme. Deposit Return Scheme Ireland CLG, trading as Re-Turn Ireland, denies a statutory complaint by Mr McCarthy under the Equal Status Act 2000. READ MORE Its lawyers argued the WRC 'manifestly does not have jurisdiction' and called on the tribunal to dismiss the claim as 'misconceived' – an application which was rejected in a preliminary ruling published on Thursday. Mr McCarthy's case is that he went to an Aldi store at Carrigtwohill in Co Cork to return his drinks containers, but found himself unable to either locate a reverse vending machine, use the machine, or identify the Re-Turn logo on his bottles and cans. Mr McCarthy told the tribunal that he had been recycling his cans and bottles 'for decades' with little or no trouble, but that Re-Turn had 'treated him worse' because he is blind. 'The placing of Re-Turn logos or other marks and symbols in a way that blind people can't read is a policy that applies in the same way for everybody but disadvantages a group of people who share a protected characteristic,' he stated in a submission to the WRC. He said he was 'disadvantaged' by this due to his disability – pointing to a lack of accessible signage and a failure to use labels compatible with assistive technology for the visually impaired. Cliona Kimber SC, appearing for Deposit Return Scheme Ireland CLG instructed by Suzanne Keenan of Byrne Wallace Shields LLP, argued that Re-Turn was not providing a service to the public. It was 'simply acting as the government-approved body to manage the scheme' and did not 'order, own or operate the reverse vending machine' at Aldi Carrigtwohill, Ms Kimber submitted. 'The respondent applies for the dismissal of this complaint on the basis that the Workplace Relations Commission does not have jurisdiction to consider this complaint, as the complaint is misconceived,' Ms Kimber further submitted. Mr McCarthy argued that the scheme was run as an 'integrated' service under a 'partnership' between Aldi and Re-Turn, the WRC noted. In his preliminary decision, adjudication officer Brian Dalton wrote that it was 'very clear' that Deposit Return Scheme Ireland 'determine[s] how the scheme will work'. It 'prescribes a logo [and] a bar code and approves what reverse vending machines are to be used,' he wrote. Mr Dalton found that what set the case before him apart was the fact that the reverse vending machines were 'not limited to product purchased at that site or that retailer'. 'On the facts, I find that the complainant has made out an arguable case that [Deposit] Return Scheme Ireland [is] providing a service by prescribing how the scheme can be accessed,' he wrote. 'I find that the complaint is not misconceived, and will be set down for hearing of the substantive matter,' Mr Dalton concluded.
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Siptu renews push for recognition at several large plants in pharma and medical device sectors
Siptu says it will step up efforts to win recognition at a number of plants operated by well-known multinationals in the pharma and medical device sectors with senior officials suggesting there has been increased interest in representation since US President Donald Trump's various moves on tariffs which have generated increased uncertainty among employees. Members of the union at the AbbVie plant in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork have been engaged in a work to rule for the past week in pursuit of collective bargaining rights and Siptu manufacturing divisional organiser, Neil McGowan, said the union was also renewing efforts to gain recognition at plants operated by DePuy Synthes, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Eli Lilly, Boston Scientific, Steris AST and Servier. In a majority of instances, the union has already been through the process set out under Section 20 of the Industrial Relations Act 1969 in an effort to gain negotiating rights but has not succeeded in reaching agreement with management. In six of the seven cases, including AbbVie, the Labour Court recommended the employers engage with the unions on pay and other issues but such recommendations are not enforceable. READ MORE 'We didn't achieve the outcomes we'd been seeking previously but in the context of the Adequate Minimum Wage Directive, we'd be a bit more optimistic now. Hopefully the mood music has changed a bit around collective bargaining.' He said the situation was particularly frustrating in cases like AbbVie because the union is recognised in other plants operated by the company, including the former Allergan facility in Westport. Similarly, Stryker and Johnson & Johnson engage with the union, which most commonly represents general operatives, at some of their facilities but not others. In most cases, the different policies are the result of plants changing hands and firms continuing with practices already in place. 'We do bargain with AbbVie because they bought Allergan in Co Mayo and we have a reasonable relationship with them so you'd hope that would impact on the dynamic as well,' said Mr McGowan. He says the mood of the union's members had hardened somewhat in recent months over pay increases and 'there's a real determination among the membership there to get on the pitch and start collectively bargaining'. He said the current action at the plant would continue for another week or so after which consideration would be given to how to proceed. Siptu-organised groups at all the plants have, meanwhile, made submissions to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment consultation on the action plan the Government is required to draw up under the terms of the Adequate Minimum Wage directive before the end of the year. About 80 submissions are understood to have been received in all. AbbVie was approached for comment.
