21 January 2016

The Costain-Skanska joint venture (CSJV) team working on the London Power Tunnels (LPT) contract has chalked up a remarkable health and safety milestone.

The first week of 2016 saw the jv achieve a full year with an Accident Frequency Rate of zero.

“This is a significant achievement considering the environment particular to the project,” said Project Director Andy Firth. “The works involved tunnelling and heavy civil engineering with a high mechanical and electrical content and are spread across many sites in the capital.

“It is additionally impressive as it has been attained after working one million man hours and 12 months without a single lost-time injury.

“This is a testament to the efforts of the entire team and our key supply chain partners such as VVB, JGL, Bourne Steel, Swords, Lee Marley Brickwork, CCS Scaffolding, Kilmbridge and many more.”

A major factor behind the injury-free year was the effort put into spreading the behavioural safety message, he said. “We used a behavioural safety coach, who came to the site and did coaching sessions with front-line supervisors. She also worked with us to develop a behavioural safety plan.”

Work on coaching behavioural safety 1:1 with site staff began in the last quarter of 2014 and the benefits started to be felt from early in 2015. “The last lost-time incident we had was a scaffolder who twisted his ankle in November 2014,” said Andy. “To my mind, to go a whole year without a reportable accident is good. But to go a whole year without a single lost time injury and to do one million man-hours in heavy civil engineering surroundings is even excellent.”

Apart from the impressive health and safety performance, 2015 was a very successful year for the LPT project, with achievements including:

• Completion of the 32km of tunnelling;

• final handover for energisation of the first section of tunnel between Willesden and St Johns Wood 1;

• stage 1 completion (practical completion and component testing completed) of the second section of tunnel from St John’s Wood to Hackney;

• the 12km of north – south tunnel and associated infrastructure, including Wimbledon, Wandsworth, Earls Court and Kensal Green shaft fit-out and headhouse construction all on track for Stage 1 completion in April this year.

The milestone date is 4 April, when the last 12km is due to be handed over to follow-on contractors who will start to lay the power cables within the tunnels. The CSJV’s role in helping provide London with a new electricity infrastructure fit for the 21st century is anticipated to be substantially complete by end of July 2016, with Stage 2 commissioning and final handover in 2017 following completion of the cabling.

 

Ends

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