WET News

FEBRUARY 2017 WET NEWS 3 WET News is registered at Stationers' Hall. Origination by Faversham House and TR Clash Ltd. Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AE. Copyright 2017. Faversham House. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers. Every e‹ ort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in WET News. However, Faversham House will not be liable for any inaccuracies. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. The text and cover paper are manufactured from certiŒ ed sustainable sources and are produced with reduced environmental impacts via a recognised and independently audited management scheme. Technical articles of full page, or more appearing in this journal are indexed by British Technical Index. Editor Maureen Gaines: maureengaines@fav-house.com Ad sales Deborah Lilley: deborahlilley@fav-house.com Classifi ed sales Danielle Mason: daniellemason@fav-house.com Production controller Sharon Miller: sharonmiller@fav-house.com Publisher Angela Himus: angelahimus@fav-house.com Published by Faversham House Ltd, Faversham House, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1UZ Call: 01342 332000 1yr: UK £115 Overseas (airmail) £129/$181 2yr: UK £203 Overseas (airmail) £231/$324 Tel: 01342 332 2031 Email: subscriptions@fav-house.com Search WET News' archives for more jobs, news, features, products and services, events and training courses. wwtonline.co.uk WET News is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact the editor. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Average circulation Jan-Dec 2015: 6,110 T hree companies - Kier MG, John Henry & Sons (Civil Engineers) and Lawless Civils – have been • ned more than £2M by Lincoln Crown Court a‚ er a worker's leg was broken in six places when a trench which he was working in collapsed on him. Vincent Talbot, from Lincoln, su‰ ered the leg injuries when his leg was crushed in the incident at Fleet Street, Holbeach, Lincolnshire on March 9, 2012. A HSE investigation found insu" cient measures were taken to protect those working in trench, and a series of safety errors led to the collapse. Principal contractor Kier MG was appointed by Lincolnshire County Council to install new storm drains. Kier MG sub- contracted the installation work to John Henry & Sons (Civil Engineers), which subsequently further sub-contracted the work to Lawless Civils. Talbot was a self-employed contractor hired by Lawless Civils. John Henry & Sons (Civil Contractors ned £2M a er trench collapse Engineers) failed to inform Kier MG of Lawless Civils' appointment. Lawless was an approved contractor of Kier MG, but not approved for this type of specialist excavation work. Lawless appointed a supervisor who had never supervised work. A‚ er the accident, John Henry & Sons (Civil Engineers) backdated the method statement to give the impression it was signed by the workers prior to the trench collapsing. A 3m-long trench box shielded workers but the pipes being laid were 6m long, meaning workers were not protected over the length of the pipe. Other trench support systems, such as trench sheeting were not used, and the unsupported trench had water leaking into it. Concrete was being used to bed the pipes in the trench, instead of pea gravel as speci• ed by the client. Water mixed with the concrete, making the pipe levelling process di" cult. When Talbot attempted to level a pipe section for a second time, the sides of the trench š Insu¦ cient measures were taken to protect those working in trench and safety errors led to the collapse, says HSE investigation. collapsed trapping him. The three contractors were sentenced by Lincoln Crown Court on December 19, 2016. Kier MG, of Sandy, Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. It was • ned £1.5M and ordered to pay £23,327.83. John Henry & Sons (Civil Engineers), of Cambridge, denied the charge but was found guilty a‚ er a trial of breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was • ned £550,000 and ordered to pay £166,217.86. Lawless Civils, of Lincoln, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was • ned £40,500 and ordered to pay £53,346.59. Looks like the Environment Agency has been busy being #¦ oodaware. Our teams have been out inspecting the damage along the coast after last wewek's tidal surge to see if any repair work is needed. #floodaware @EnvAgencyAnglia The #Worcestershire Œ eld team have completed the maintenance work today on the #Kidderminster #flood alleviation scheme #Puxton #floodaware @BarryKillnerEA More than 400 homes & businesses will now get better #flood protection from the new dam at Croston, #Lancashire. @EnvAgency A n innovative o‰ -site solution by FLI Water has enabled the activated sludge plant (ASP) aeration at Thames Water's Dorking sewage treatment works to be replaced without having to drain the entire system, and saving £400,000. The existing ASP had a di‰ user-based system that had been installed in the 1990s and required replacement. The initial scope of work was for re- doming. However, the challenge was that although the ASP ASP aeration replaced without draining system comprised of four lanes, the lanes were all linked, acting as one tank, meaning that individual lanes could not be isolated and upgraded. By utilising o‰ -site build with a li‚ out aeration system, principal contractor FLI Water was able to design and build a system that enabled the grids to be • tted while the tanks remained online. The design included 12 separate aeration li‚ out grids which were tied into the existing air blower arrangement. HSE inspector Martin Waring said: "This incident was foreseeable and avoidable and Mr Talbot's injuries were the result of multiple failings by the duty holders, from the planning stage through to the execution of the project, resulting in the inevitable collapse of an unsupported trench. Su" cient trench support systems were not provided. "Even while the excavation phase had begun, a catalogue of errors and omissions led to the injuries of Vincent Talbot. It is inevitable that at some time an unsupported trench will collapse, for this reason safe systems of work, should be in place in order to protect persons who work in trenches. We could easily have been dealing with a fatal incident." Beautiful sunset tonight taken from our empty incident room as the week's forecast looks good. Stay #floodaware @EnvAgencyAnglia Worry not #She¦ eld, @EnvAgencyNYE have been monitoring closely. The debris should be removed before the week is out. @AdamBaylissEA The project saved around £400,000

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