The UK's independent nuclear regulator has served improvement notices after a worker fell from scaffolding at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
The worker avoided serious injury when they fell approximately five metres at the plant near Bridgwater in Somerset on March 4.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has issued the notices to the project’s main civil engineering contractor Bylor, a joint venture of construction firms Laing O’Rourke and French counterpart Bouygues Travaux Publics.
The ONR said Bylor had failed to ensure the work was properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a manner which was safe, so far as reasonably practicable.
It added this was 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.”
The ONR impressed the matter was a conventional health and safety incident and not nuclear related.
Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics, through Bylor, must comply with the requirements of the improvement notice by May 27.
A spokesperson for Hinkley Point C said: “We accept the findings of the regulator and have ensured that the shortfalls identified are addressed in order to avoid a repeat of such an incident. The safety of people working on our site is of paramount importance and we will continue to take action, alongside our contractor and trades union partners, in order to reinforce and improve our already strong safety culture and record.”
Last month hundreds of Bylor workers at Hinkley Point C walked out in a dispute over working arrangements, which was resolved within days. Bylor employs a few thousand of the total 7,500 people working at the Hinkley Point C site.
The plant's developer, French energy giant EDF, has launched a “new comprehensive review” of the project’s costs and schedule estimates.
EDF said construction faced an “increase in risks”, including from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Brexit, Covid, supply chain disruption and inflation.
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