Safety breaches at the Hinkley Point C construction site have sparked a warning from the nuclear regulator.
An improvement notice was served on EDF Energy subsidiary NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd relating to the monitoring and management of tower cranes at the Somerset site.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said the action at Hinkley Point C followed the failure of components on one of the cranes.
The problem was identified by an operator undertaking pre-use checks in February, it added in a statement yesterday (12 May).
According to the safety regulator, a pin connecting two mast sections failed while “evidence of cracking” was also found within a mast section.
The issue was identified before there was any broader failure of the crane, so there were no injuries to any workers, the ONR said.
However, the findings were reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
The ONR said its enquiries established a failure by NNB GenCo to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase and coordinate health and safety requirements for the maintenance and condition of tower cranes.
This amounted to a contravention of Regulation 13(1) in the CDM Regulations 2015, it added.
“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,” said ONR principal inspector John McKenniff.
“We will monitor the actions of NNB GenCo and will consider taking further action if additional shortfalls are identified.”
Bristol-based NNB GenCo must comply with the requirements of the improvement notice by 30 June, the ONR said.
This latest enforcement action follows warning notices issued last January to NNB GenCo, Bouygues, Laing O’Rourke and crane company Reel UK over fire safety failures at Hinkley Point C.
It was confirmed in August that all four firms had made the improvements required of them.
Hinkley Point C said it took safety issues very seriously and had already made progress in addressing the issues identified.
“We continue to work closely with the ONR, as well as our trades union and contract partners, with safety as our overriding priority and to enhance the high safety standards demanded by us across our construction site,” a spokesperson told Construction News.