Investigations into death of man in industrial accident at wood plant

A number of investigations have been launched after the death of a man in an industrial accident at a wood processing plant near Waterford city this afternoon.

The man, who is in his 20s, was not being publicly identified tonight by gardaí as they were still notifying family members of the tragedy. However, it is understood he was from the southeast.

The incident happened at the SmartPly plant, a subsidiary of Coillte, near Belview Port in south Kilkenny, close to the Waterford border, at about 3pm.

It is understood that the man was working near a crane which was loading logs at the time when he was hit by the crane, causing fatal injuries.

Gardaí from Waterford city attended the scene while an investigation was also launched by the Health and Safety Authority and the company itself.

SmartPly has operations in the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland and makes a timber product called oriented strand board, described as “an alternative to many plywoods”.

The company is part of Coillte Panel Products, a division of Coillte, and uses local forests for its products.