Place: Cork

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has called for Stryker, a major employer in the Cork region, to ensure the safety of all workers in its complexes, following an industrial accident at one of its plants. A father of three suffered burn and blast injuries in a mini explosion at the Anngrove plant. Speaking in the Dáil, Martin stressed the need for every employee to be safe, regardless of the company’s status as a significant local employer. Sinn Féin TD for East Cork, Pat Buckley, revealed he passed on a “very large” protected disclosure about Stryker to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and to Leo Varadkar, the former tánaiste and enterprise minister, last year. He said this included concerns over titanium dust and fires. He called for a full safety review going back to 2019. Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Neale Richmond, said Stryker was cooperating with the HSA’s independent investigation.

A worker at a Stryker plant in Cork has been left on life support following an industrial accident which occurred while he and another man were carrying out maintenance or repairs to vents on the roof of the Anngrove plant. The injured man and his family are being supported by their loved ones as they maintain a bedside vigil. The incident has led to calls for a full safety review of Stryker’s operations in East Cork. Siptu, the trade union representing the workers, has requested an urgent meeting with Stryker management to address concerns for workers’ safety at its plants in Carrigtwohill. The issue of union recognition has not been reached with Stryker despite two Labour Court recommendations for recognition in the Tullagreen and Springhill plants in 2019. Additionally, a protected disclosure was made this year regarding major health and safety concerns at the Anngrove plant. Cork East TD Seán Sherlock has called on Tánaiste Micheál Martin to intervene in the matter. Stryker and the HSA continue to communicate and investigations are ongoing.

The historic Boole House in Cork city, former home of computing pioneer George Boole, is to undergo a “faithful reinstatement”. The building, owned by University College Cork (UCC) since 2017, was in poor condition when it partially collapsed in 2010. Cork City Council took ownership of the site in 2015 and began a Part 8 planning process with UCC. The university aims to tender for the building’s restoration later this year. The planning application includes a proposal to relocate an internal passenger lift in order to restore the building’s original layout.