A health and safety assessment of an encampment of asylum seekers along Dublin’s Grand Canal said “slips, trips, and falls” were inevitable beside deceptively dangerous water and that tightly packed tents, some with containers full of urine, could cause an outbreak of disease.
The safety evaluation said the number of tents could not even be counted accurately due to the “sheer volume” of them and the use of large tarpaulin sheets as cover from the elements.
The assessment by Waterways Ireland said that canals can be “deceptively dangerous” with deep water, thick sediment and steep slopes.
It said there were ropes criss-crossing each other from tents as well as make-shift washing lines, all of which created a hazard for occupants and members of the public.
The file said: “Slips, trips and falls are inevitable and should a person or persons end up in the canal serious injury or a fatality may occur.”
Waterways Ireland warned as well of a public health risk and said that while volunteers were helping occupants with rubbish bins, there were “no washing or toilet facilities”.
The assessment said: “A number of containers have been noticed and seem to contain urine. A strong odour was also prevalent on site particularly at the lock structures.
“With tents packed in so tightly and given the lack of welfare facilities the risk exists of a potential outbreak of disease.”
Asked about the records, a spokeswoman said: “Waterways Ireland is committed to fully re-opening all sections of the Grand Canal where temporary fencing has been erected.
“Having to erect barriers along the canal is not something we had ever envisaged. We acknowledge that the current fencing situation along a stretch of the canal is not ideal, but it is necessary to mitigate risk to health and safety which is our overriding concern.”
She said they had met with local resident groups and were looking at all options on how they might fully reopen the Grand Canal banks.