The ancient Brehon laws seem to have provided for every emergency, even for the chance injury suffered by a man waiting in a forge and there inconvenienced by the sparks.
According to the old law of compensation, there were among such loiterers "profitable workers" and "idlers" and the awards were quite different in both cases. The profitable workers were those who went very early to the forge and while waiting their turn, fell asleep "before their iron was in the fire." If such a man was injured by sparks, it was none of his fault, since he ought to have been warned, and both the blacksmith and the blower were compelled to pay compensation. In some cases the blower only was liable, but, if the smith had urged him to "blow strongly," he, too, had to share in the expenses. In the case of idlers the compensation was very much less, if it existed at all; for these were the people who "watched their iron put into the fire," and then went to sleep regardless of the danger. While the blacksmith was engaged in actually striking the sledge on the anvil he was by these old laws "exempt from penalty for injuries arising from the work."
The Irish Times, March 23rd, 1931.