The Workers’ Party have called on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Micheál Martin to order an independent investigation following this morning’s explosion at the Corden pharmaceuticals plant at Little Island in Cork which left one worker dead and several more hospitalised.

Workers’ Party spokesman Ted Tynan said in that tandem with the Health & Safety Authority and Environmental Protection Agency probes into the fatal incident, there needed to be a departmental inquiry into the procedures carried out by the statutory bodies after two previous incidents at Corden Pharmaceuticals last month.

Mr. Tynan said that the lives and safety of workers and the public must be protected, not only by the law and the existence of the Health & Safety Authority and the EPA, but through strict adherence to laid down standards and thorough investigation of incidents and follow-up work to ensure no repeat of such incidents occurs.

The third incident in just over a month at Corden raised questions over that process and was particularly disturbing given the loss of a workers’ life and serious injury to others.  “In particular the fact that the explosion occurred after recent investigations by the Health & Safety Authority is a matter of concern and needs to be investigated separately to that authority’s own inquiry”, said Mr. Tynan.