BROTHERS IN HARM
Irish troops’ injuries on duty revealed
ALMOST 300 incidents have been suffered by Irish soldiers in the past three years including haemorrhages, post-traumatic stress from bullying and brain injuries.
A log of incidents details 282 major or moderate accidents that befell Defence Forces personnel or members of the public who were on military property.
There were 17 incidents classified as “major” including one person who suffered PTSD due to bullying and left with a “longterm disability”. Nine of the major cases involved anxiety or trauma.
One member at Defence Forces HQ suffered long-term disability because of the release of “particulates” into the air by an “unsafe system” – although no further details were provided on the incident.
One incident involved chemical products, two concerned “slips, trips, and falls”, while one was logged as exposure to unsafe temperatures at training.
Four were listed as a “brain injury [or] concussion”, seven as bruising, another four as “burn, scald [or] corrosion” and 16 as infection with Covid. Twenty cases of cuts and lacerations were logged along with seven incidents of dental fractures or injury, six dislocations and 41 fractures.
One case of haemorrhage due to a fall on “rough terrain” was recorded and a case of hearing impairment was caused by an “acid [or] alkaline” substance.
Another 20 cases of “pain [or] discomfort” were listed, as well as one “puncture [or] bite”, one slipped or prolapsed disc in the vertebrae, and 48 soft tissue injuries.
A spokesman said: “The Defence Forces has implemented various initiatives, training programmes and preventative measures to address health and safety concerns.”