The requirement to control risks associated with method changes in the progress of works has been illustrated in the circumstances of the January 2003 death of an employee.

Working on the decommissioning of one of the pile chimneys on the Sellafield site in Cumbria. He was removing steelwork inside the chimney when he fell approximately 95 metres to his death.

Sellafield Ltd (then British Nuclear Fuels Ltd) of Warrington was fined £150,000 for a breach of S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc, Act 1974 with £50,500 costs. PC Richardson & Co (Middlesbrough) Ltd of Stokesley was fined £100,000 for a breach of S.2(1) of the above Act plus £25,000 costs.

An HSE Principal Inspector commented: "This tragic accident need never have happened. A safe working method had been prepared for removing the steelwork in the chimney. If this had been followed, the deceased would not have had to leave the safety of the working platform that had been built inside the chimney. As often happens on construction projects, however, the proposed method was changed as the work progressed.

These changes took place over a period of time and resulted in workers, including the deceased, having to work on an unprotected ledge inside the chimney approximately 95 metres above ground level. At the time of the accident, he was trying to remove a girder from the ledge. The girder tipped upwards, sliced through his safety lanyard, and caused him to fall through the gap between the ledge and the working platform.

Ongoing monitoring of the work in progress should have identified the changes and the increased risk. If this had been done it is almost certain that a way could have been found to do the work without leaving the safety of the platform. As this case sadly illustrates, any changes to planned work methods must be identified and properly assessed to ensure that they are safe".

Article created by Editor. (info@complyuk.co.uk)