An improvement notice has been served to the Nuclear New Build Generation Company (NNB GenCo) regarding the safety of a damaged tower crane at Hinckley Point C
The enforcement was issued by the Office for Nuclear Regulation after a crane was found to have evidence of cracking in one of the mast sections, and a pin connecting two mast sections was found to have failed.
The issues were discovered by an operator during pre-use checks on site in February. They were subsequently reported to HSE under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
A failure by NBB to plan, manage and monitor
NNB GenCo are the site licensee and principal contractor for the Hinckley Point C project, and as such is responsible for the faults. The enforcement determines a failure by NNB to plan, manage, and monitor the construction phase as well as health and safety requirements in relation to the maintenance and condition of the tower cranes.
This violates Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 13 (1).
Due to the early detection of the issue, no major incidents occurred, and no injuries were caused.
“Served to ensure that action is taken”
Principal inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation John McKenniff said: “While the observed damage did not result in any crane failure or collapse, this improvement notice was served to ensure that action is taken to prevent any similar occurrences in the future.
“We will monitor the actions of NNB GenCo and will consider taking further action if additional shortfalls are identified.”
It has been a busy year for HSE so far, having served fines and warnings for Network Rail as well, among various other health and safety concerns.
Hinckley Point domestic environmental information law trial begins today
A case has been opened against NNB GenCo by Fish Legal, due to NNB changing the plans for fish deterrents on site. The plans originally featured an acoustic fish deterrent, but switched to a saltmarsh in the plan.
The plans have since been reverted to an acoustic deterrent due to a new “safe and effective” method of implementation, but the case is still going ahead due to Fish Legal believing that foreign-owned companies who construct and operate a nuclear power plant in the UK must comply with domestic environmental information laws, providing details on environmental plans when asked – something that NNB has failed to do to date when Fish Legal have asked for details.
Safety fines issued to Network Rail earlier in the year
A train derailing incident took place in 2024, and two workers were killed in 2019, both of which were deemed to be due to inadequate safety measures and training.
The derailing caused a strong warning for Network Rail, while the deaths of the two workers caused a fine of £3.75m, and costs of £175,000.
The two workers died while performing maintenance on an active train line, and were subsequently struck by a train. They were found to be working with inadequate safety precautions, including a lookout or a line block.
In 2023, Network Rail were also found lacking in safety standards resulting in the death of another worker who was crushed under six tonnes of rail track.
At the time, Andrew Hall, chief inspector of Rail Accidents, said: “Following a passenger train striking redundant rail on the track in 2018, RAIB issued Urgent Safety Advice to Network Rail regarding safety of the line after engineering work.
“Since this advice was issued, RAIB has examined a number of further accidents caused by objects, including temporary road-rail access points and a trolley, being left on the track after the completion of maintenance work. These accidents caused damage to the railway infrastructure, the trains involved and resulted in temporary closures to the affected lines. This most recent accident at Walton-on-Thames resulted in a passenger train derailing at speed. Although no one was hurt on this occasion, the train could easily have deviated from the line of the track and struck other trains or objects.
“Maintenance work is often carried out at night which makes ensuring the line is subsequently safe for the passage of trains particularly challenging. The risk is very clear. Unfortunately, this accident happened because that risk was not effectively managed. This, following other similar recent incidents, should serve as a stark reminder of the importance of effectively managing the risk of objects being left on the track after overnight maintenance.
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