12.11.2019

Fatal work at height incident

We have learnt in the past couple of days of an incident that occurred on October 17th, in which a man, said to be 62, died while another in his 40s was injured while while carrying out demolition work. The two men were working from a boom lift at the time.

We have struggled to confirm the details on this as no one has been prepared to discuss the incident, even though valuable lessons might be learnt from it the comapny responsible is Veolia ES (UK) Ltd.
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A view of the site

The information that we have been able to obtain, along with photographs purporting to have come from the scene, suggest that the two men were dismantling /decommissioning offshore rig bases at the outer harbour site, and were working from the platform of a 135ft Genie Z-135, when one of the elements being removed from the rig dropped onto the boom lift, striking its basket and causing the fatality. The man was declared dead at the scene. The machine itself was almost certainly not at fault.

We must point out that while this information has been checked out through numerous reliable source we have not been able to confirm the details to our 100 percent satisfaction.
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The damaged platform

The Health and Safety Executive was informed of the incident and has launched an investigation.

Update July 2024

The following report is based on information provided by an HSE statement in July 2024 :

Recycling company Veolia ES (UK) has been fined after one man died and another was seriously injured while decommissioning a North Sea gas rig.

Stephen Picken, 62, and Mark Kumar were employed by Veolia ES at an onshore facility in Great Yarmouth. Both men were working as ‘Top Men’, undertaking the decommissioning and dismantlement of offshore structures.

On 17 October 2019, the two men were removing a skirt pile - an overhanging piece of metal pipework, weighing in excess of 27 tonnes, from an old offshore jacket when it gave way. The pile struck the boom lift they were using, throwing them around 12 metres to the ground below.
Stephen Picken died at the scene, while Mark Kumar suffered serious life changing injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive identified serious failings with the planning and the risk assessments which did not adequately cover the planned works. Shortcomings in supervision of the incident were also identified. The company did not risk assess the removal of the skirt pile, as it was considered low risk. As a result, there was no cutting plan or safe system of work for its removal.
London based Veolia ES was fined £3 million plus £60,000 in costs.

HSE inspector David King said: “This incident, in an emerging industry, highlights the level of controls required to safely demolish what are large, dangerous structures. Veolia did not meet these standards and tragically one life was lost, and another forever changed.”