Trade unions have demanded increased safety measures on building sites today after three construction workers died in the past week.
One man died and two others were seriously injured after a "structural collapse" at a G&T Crampton building site on South Lotts road in Ringsend last night. On Monday a man died when a trench he was working in collapsed at a site in Ballymum, Dublin, On Wednesday a man in his sixties was killed in a trench in Co Louth.
Twenty construction workers have died on sites in the Republic this year.
SIPTU's Dublin construction branch secretary, Mr Eric Fleming, argued the death rate would remain high as long as the penalties for those brought before the court for negligence remained low.
"The penalties being imposed on those responsible for the deaths and terrible injuries caused to workers in the building industry are derisory and do not reflect the seriousness of the loss caused to building workers and their families," he said.
The Building and Allied Trades Union (BATU) also called for higher penalties for breaching safety rules. BATU sees on-site subcontracting as one of the reasons for so many accidents. Union leader Mr Denis Farrell said his organisation had predicted there would be more deaths and serious injuries unless changes were made in the construction industry.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment said that a complete review of health and safety legislation had now been completed, and new legislation is being drawn up that will include "significantly increased penalties". It is expected to be published early next year.