The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has served Improvement Notices after a worker fell from scaffolding at new nuclear power station Hinkley Point C.
The incident on 4 March 2022 involved a scaffold worker falling approximately five metres, but avoiding serious injury.
ONR has issued the Improvement Notice to contractors Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS and Laing O’Rourke Construction Limited, the joint venture partners in BYLOR JV, which is working on the under-construction Somerset site.
Enquiries have established there was a failure by BYLOR JV to ensure that the work was properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a manner which was safe, so far as reasonably practicable.
This is in contravention of Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
ONR Inspector John McKenniff said: “Thankfully on this occasion the worker did not sustain any serious injuries, but it could have been much more serious.
“We have issued this Improvement Notice to ensure that both organisations take action to prevent any similar occurrences in the future.
“We will monitor the actions of BYLOR JV and will have no hesitation in taking action if further shortfalls are identified.”
This was a conventional health and safety incident and not a nuclear related safety incident.
Both organisations, through BYLOR JV, must comply with the requirements of the Improvement Notice by 27 May 2022.