EDF and Trillium Flow Services Ltd have been handed fines totalling £633,333 after a scaffolder was seriously injured by a falling two-tonne counterweight at the Dungeness B power station in Kent.
The incident, which occurred on June 13, 2022, left 62-year-old scaffolder Colin Dell with severe injuries, including broken and amputated toes, and has since rendered him unable to return to work. Dell has also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the life-changing accident.
A Preventable Tragedy
Dell was working near the main cooling water discharge valves when a heavy counterweight, unsupported due to a missing hydraulic actuator (or “ram”), suddenly fell. The counterweight struck Dell’s hand and foot, leaving him trapped. Emergency services transported him to the hospital, where he spent four days undergoing treatment for his injuries.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) investigation revealed that the accident was “wholly avoidable,” citing failures in the sequence for re-fitting a critical valve. Both EDF, the plant’s operator, and Trillium Flow Services Ltd, responsible for maintenance at the site, were found guilty of safety breaches at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.
District Judge Stephen Leake fined EDF £533,333 and Trillium Flow Services Ltd £100,000. Both companies were also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £15,034 each.
Missed Opportunities
Dan Hasted, Director of Regulation for ONR’s Operating Facilities Directorate, said: “We welcome the outcome which recognises that EDF and Trillium Flow Services Ltd failed in their duty to protect a worker from a known risk.
This accident was wholly avoidable. Nobody should go to work and not come home in a fit and healthy state.”
Hasted emphasised that the investigation uncovered “several missed opportunities” to prevent the incident, including failing to follow established safety procedures.
Dungeness B, which ceased power generation in June 2021 and is currently undergoing defueling, relies on four main cooling water pumps to provide seawater to its condensers. Each pump is equipped with a discharge valve, one of which was involved in the incident.
The malfunctioning valve and the subsequent omission of a hydraulic actuator allowed the counterweight to fall, leading to the tragic injuries sustained by Dell.
