Energy giant EDF has been fined more than half a million pounds following an incident at a UK power station that left a scaffolder with life-changing injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The firm was last week ordered to pay £533,333 by a district judge at Folkestone Magistrates Court after Colin Dell was hurt by a falling counterweight at Dungeness B power station in Kent, according to a statement by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
Project-support specialist Trillium Flow Services was also fined £100,000, while each firm was ordered to pay costs of £15,034.
The statement said that on 13 June 2022, Dell was working near the main cooling water discharge valves at Dungeness B, which has not produced electricity since 2018.
A hydraulic actuator, known as a ram, was not in place, allowing the unsupported 2-tonne counterweight to fall from a cooling water pump, striking his hand, then his foot, and leaving him trapped.
According to the ONR, Dell, 62, sustained “life-changing” injuries to his left foot, including broken and amputated toes, and was in hospital for four days.
He has been unable to return to work as a scaffolder and has also been diagnosed with PTSD, the regulator said.
Its statement noted that both EDF and Trillium Flow Services Ltd pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.
ONR director of regulation Dan Hasted said: “This accident was wholly avoidable. Nobody should go to work and not come home in a fit and healthy state.
“We conducted a thorough investigation, which identified significant shortcomings by EDF and Trillium Flow Services, specifically their failure to follow the correct sequence for refitting the valve which resulted in the injuries to Mr Dell.
“We concluded that there were several missed opportunities that could have prevented this accident occurring.”
The ONR said Dungeness B had four main cooling water pumps, each fitted with a discharge valve driven by hydraulic rams.
If power supply is lost to a ram, a counterweight closes the valves. But the ONR said that a replacement ram was not put in place after maintenance work to remove a valve.
This was described by the regulator as a “basic and fundamental misunderstanding” that created a potentially fatal risk.
The ONR also identified shortfalls in EDF’s planning and resources, with employees being asked to fulfil roles outside of their technical capabilities, and tasks being undertaken without the correct signed approvals.
Measures to reduce risks were not taken and the company’s health and safety practices fell far below appropriate standards, the ONR found.
It also said Trillium Flow Services was responsible for multiple failings, including an “unsuitable and insufficient” risk assessment; a team “relatively inexperienced” in working on the main counterweight valves at the site; and a “lack of understanding” of the operation of the valves. The regulator also said it found evidence of “ill-informed decision-making” from the company.
An EDF spokesperson told Construction News: “This was an accident which should never have occurred, as safety is our overriding priority.
“EDF today apologises to Mr Dell for its part in the injury caused and for failing to meet our own rigorous safety standards.
“The event serves as a reminder that we must always be vigilant to any risks that could occur at our power stations. EDF has ensured the points highlighted by the ONR have been fed into our processes at all of our sites and power stations to ensure everyone working at all of our stations can work safely.”
Trillium Flow Services has been contacted for comment.
In January, EDF opened a consultation on changes to the development consent order for Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset, designed “to implement current best practice and make the operational station safer and more efficient”.
