RTÉ headquarters in Dublin
An RTÉ staff member was taken to hospital as a precaution this afternoon after a “grill” fell from the newsroom ceiling striking them on the head.
A source confirmed to the Irish Independent that the staffer was hit by the grill and was “shaken” by the incident.
A separate newsroom source confirmed the staff member was taken to hospital for a medical check.
When contacted, an RTÉ spokesperson for the national broadcaster said: ”On Saturday afternoon a plastic covered metal grill fell from part of the ceiling in the newsroom office. It struck one staff member who has been taken for a precautionary medical check. Early indications are that it is a localised issue but a full check of the ceiling area is underway.”
It is not the first-time problems at the Montrose headquarters have hit the headlines. It emerged in September last year that RTÉ was told it should carry out CCTV surveys in its drain network to try to hunt down where rats were coming from.
The advice came after their staff canteen was forced to close for the second time in 2023.
The broadcaster has been plagued by rodent invaders at its Donnybrook campus in Dublin recently, with mice reported in a studio area and “reported rodent activity” in the Radio 1 women’s toilet.
However, rats have been the biggest scourge with multiple callouts to pest controllers after the pests were spotted scurrying around kitchens and the canteen.
In one report from July 7 2023, the exterminators said two rats had been spotted on the move in the RTÉ canteen, leading a few days later to its closure for a month.
Another report from July 21 2023 said: “A call-out was carried out today due to reported rodent activity in the main kitchen. Area was inspected. One rat was trapped and removed from the premises.”
It recommended a CCTV survey of the drains to “investigate the source of the rodents” and find out where the breaches were.
