A Belfast based construction company has been fined £22,500 after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety regulations.

McGreevy Construction were fined following an extensive and thorough investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) of the partial collapse of a former four storey textile mill in Carrickfergus that the company was converting into apartments.

Fortunately, no one was injured as a result of the collapse which occurred during the night. Had it happened during the working day, then there would have been multiple fatalities.

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Following the hearing, Ken Logan, who led the HSENI investigation, said: "This incident is a direct result of a failure by the company to identify the risks, plan the work properly and provide appropriated supervision. Notwithstanding the fact that no one was injured the work involved clearing up and rebuilding has been put at several hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Judge got it right when he said that it is only for the grace of God that no-one was killed in this incident."

Mr Logan continued: "The message is clear, the construction industry must be proactive in managing risks at site level as failing to do so can not only have high financial penalties as in this case, but can also result in loss of life."

(JM)