B&Q Ireland Ltd has been fined €250,000 following the death of a shopper in one of its Dublin stores.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a 58-year-old man was shopping at the B&Q store in Belgard Retail Park when he was struck by a 500kg bundle of lap-panel fencing which fell about 4m from the top bay of storage racking.
The man died as a result of his injuries.
The Health and Safety Authority investigation revealed that the bundle had not been seated correctly on the racking and that the accident could easily have been prevented.
B&Q Ireland Ltd pleaded guilty to a health and safety breach.
“It is clear in this case that there was a failure on the part of the retailer to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to risks to their safety, health and welfare while work was being carried on,” said Martin O’Halloran, chairman of the Health and Safety Authority.
