Civil proceedings are expected to be taken against the Galway City Council in the near future in relation to an explosion at City Hall in June 2010, it emerged yesterday.
The move comes following confirmation that an investigation by the Health and Safety Authority has been completed and the authority does not plan any further action against the council under health and safety legislation. The HSA also sent a file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which has decided not to pursue a prosecution in relation to the incident.
It is understood the explosion was caused by a boiler and the part of the building where the boiler was located sustained extensive damage in the blast.
The explosion occurred shortly before 8am on the morning of Friday June 11 2010. A small number of council staff were in the building at the time, and no one was injured in the incident.
City manager Joe O’Neill contacted city councillors this week to tell them of the developments in the case. The email, which has been seen by the Galway Advertiser, advised councillors that the local authority will not be releasing its own report on the incident, or commenting publicly on it, until the civil proceedings have concluded.
“While there will not be any proceedings taken under health and safety law, a civil case has been taken against the council as a result of the blast,” the email stated. “The legal advice provided to me is that I should not put any further information into the public domain while this litigation is ongoing. When the civil case has been concluded, I intend to provide you with my report on the incident.”
