A man recovering from serious injuries after a workplace accident was visited at home by his boss and asked to sign a statement that he would not be "making a claim" over the accident, the High Court heard.
Mr Keevey, a 54-year-old father of five, later sued and was this week awarded €228,160 over the accident which occurred in the shopping centre on July 20, 2015. Mr Keevey, a rigging foreman, was sent by RAMM to the shopping centre to cut off lifting bolts or eyes attached to a stairwell in order to lift it and position it where it is finally intended to go.
The judge said Mr O'Hagan, as supervisor on the site, acted "in complete disregard for the safety of the plaintiff and his colleague in directing them to carry out the task at hand, knowing the extreme dangers of working at heights." The judge said while Mr O'Hagan accepted an employer has a duty to report the accident to the Health and Safety Authority she found his evidence in relation to contact he had made to the HSA about this matter as "simply implausible".
The judge said Mr Keevey suffered life-threatening injuries including multiple skull fractures, orthopaedic and facial injuries. Mr Keevey told the court he continues to have constant knee pain and accepted he is unlikely to continue in this line of employment.