Building worker electrocuted to death
A 30-year-old man from South Africa died today after he was struck with 20,000 volts of electricity while working on a new house in Co Leitrim.
The man, who was working on the home, was electrocuted shortly after 10am and died almost an hour later. Workers had been connecting a new home near Carrigallen to the ESB network.
Investigations have been launched by the ESB, the gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority.
An ESB spokesman said builders were moving a pole across the site on a mechanical digger when it came into to contact with high voltage wires.
He said officials were trying to establish how the man was electrocuted as he was not driving the digger. The dead worker was on foot nearby when the accident happened.
The spokesman said: “We would like to extend our sympathies to family and colleagues of the man.
“A full investigation has been launched. We do not know the circumstances exactly where the individual was and how he came into contact with the wires.”
The ESB said they were co-operating with the HSA investigation.
