Thames Water has been fined £300,000 after three workers carrying out preparatory works for the Thames Tideway Tunnel in east Greenwich were injured when they were swept along in a sewer.
The incident, which took place on 29 August 2017, happened when a 150-year-old sewer gate collapsed, engulfing the workers in effluent and carrying them along. They received minor physical injuries but have been affected mentally by the experience, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which brought the prosecution.
One worker has been treated for the long-term traumatic stress because of the incident which has prevented him from continuing work in his specialised career.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Thames Water Utilities, which controls the sewer, had planned individual work activities but failed to properly coordinate these as the permission and authorisation system was fragmented. The company had no effective means of collating, comparing and adapting to the impact of multiple work activities.
Due to an unrelated planned power outage, sewage pumps vital to the control of sewage levels for the work being undertaken at east Greenwich were not available for use which resulted in the failure.
Thames Water Utilities Limited of Clearwater Court, Reading, Berkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1)(b) of the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and was fined £300,000 and instructed to pay costs of £16,419.
HSE inspector James Goldfinch said: “This serious incident endangered the lives of three workers and caused lasting adverse mental health effects; the workers narrowly avoided death by drowning in sewage.
“It should serve as a warning and a reminder to all those that work in confined spaces that work in these challenging environments must be properly planned, coordinated and managed.”
