The man killed in a workplace accident in Kenmare, Co Kerry, on Wednesday afternoon has been named as 61-year-old Michael Burns.
Meanwhile an investigation was also under way in Dingle into the death of a Spanish fisherman in the harbour area yesterday afternoon.
Mr Burns, of Tahilla, Sneem, a married man with a family, had been working in an 8ft deep trench at a housing development by Atlantic Developments Ltd, at Dromnevane, on the outskirts of Kenmare, when the side of the trench collapsed.
He was accompanied by a middle-aged Polish man who has been living in Kenmare for some time. Both men were laying pipes when one side of the trench collapsed.
The Polish man, named as Tomasi Cloeck, was injured and suffered a broken leg. He remains in Kerry General Hospital, where his condition was described as stable yesterday.
Both men were rescued from the trench with the assistance of the Kenmare fire service, ambulance personnel and Kenmare gardaí. Mr Burns was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gardaí and personnel from the Health and Safety Authority were at the scene again yesterday and are carrying out an investigation into the man's death, Supt Michael Maher said.
Siptu health and safety adviser Sylvester Cronin said officially recorded workplace deaths were "only the tip of the iceberg". On average, workplace-related deaths were recorded as 58 a year, but the real figure was 500, Mr Cronin claimed.
Up to a third of road deaths alone were work-related, he believed. Other deaths such as those from cancer caused by asbestos were not reflected in the official workplace fatality statistics.
While not commenting on the fatality in Kenmare, Mr Cronin said up to half of all of building and workplace sites still did not have a safety statement.
A Spanish fisherman who worked as a crew member on local vessels fell into the water while passing between boats in the harbour yesterday. The accident occurred at 2pm. He was named as Fernando Lopez Bambo (51). Health and safety personnel and gardaí were investigating.