The contractor demolishing Didcot Power Station has been removed from the recovery operation to find three trapped men following the collapse of the site’s boiler house on 23 February.
Coleman & Co will hand over their duties to another company “within the next few weeks” as the search for three demolition workers trapped underneath the remains of a 10-storey building continues. According to a statement from Coleman & Co, the reasons for the change in contractor were to safeguard employee welfare and to preserve “critical evidence”.
The statement said: “We understand these reasons and our immediate focus is to ensure that we continue with the recovery operation for as long as we are permitted and at the same time, work collaboratively to facilitate a seamless transition so that the recovery operation going forward proceeds without delay.
“While the sequence of future recovery operations is not our decision, all stakeholders are agreed that the safety of those involved in the process going forward is of paramount importance.”
The incident resulted in the death of one worker from Coleman & Company, and three remain missing, despite a recovery operation now into its third month. Around 20,000 tonnes of debris remain on the site. Of the debris and steel work removed, approximately 250 pieces of differing sizes and weights have been removed for evidence processing.
