By Lynda Myer
Being presented by Align JV’s health, safety and well-being director, Neil Hancox, and TBM manager Shannon O’Keeffe, BTS’s September lecture is due to focus on the fire on an HS2 personnel service vehicle (PSV) last year, whereas it will share the lessons learnt from the incident with the wider industry.
On 10th of May 2022, the intended fire occurred during construction of the down line Chiltern Tunnel. At the start of a night shift, a purpose-built PSV carrying TBM shift workers was being driven into the tunnel when a fire started in the engine compartment. The PSV was almost 2.6km from the entrance when it was halted.
Although the number of fatalities during the incident was zero, three people working on the TBM around 4.1km into the tunnel spent more than 12 hours in a refuge chamber until it was safe to walk to the surface.
In order to ensuring that all lessons learned have been captured, since the incident, a review of emergency response has been conducted with emergency services and other agencies at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
The Institution of Civil Engineers in London will host this lecture on September 14 at 18:00 (BST) and it is also going to be live streamed here.
Nonmembers are welcome to attend.
