Hinkley Point C contractors granted extension after worker's 29-metre fall
Published on 08/12/2026 at 04:37 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has extended the deadline for two improvement notices issued to the joint venture behind main civil engineering works at Hinkley Point C, following a serious accident in which a worker was injured by a falling formwork panel. The decision gives the contractors — and the wider construction sector — a clear signal that safety failures on major projects will face formal regulatory action.
The joint venture, BYLOR, made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS and Laing O'Rourke Delivery Ltd, now has until September 14, 2026, to comply with the safety directives. The extension follows an incident in June 2026, when a formwork panel fell around 29 metres and caused serious injuries to a worker on site.
Regulator stresses no nuclear risk
The ONR issued the improvement notices after its investigation into the incident. While the regulator acknowledged that the safety failures led to a significant personal injury, it was careful to stress that the event posed no risk to nuclear safety, the environment or the public.
The extension is intended to give BYLOR additional time to implement the required safety improvements identified during the investigation. The September deadline now represents the final window for the joint venture to demonstrate that the procedural failures behind the June fall have been properly addressed.
Wider enforcement across the sector
The move comes during a period of active enforcement by health and safety authorities across British construction and industry. Several firms have recently faced prosecution or high-court rulings over safety and liability failures.
In the first week of August 2026, Len Smith & Son was fined £20,000 plus costs after a 24-year-old bricklayer suffered a broken back. The injury resulted from a fall through a fragile roof at East Fleetham Farm in early 2025. Figures cited in the case showed that falls from height accounted for 31 workplace deaths during the 2025-2026 period.
Recent fines and legal firsts
Other recent enforcement actions illustrate the range of failures under scrutiny:
- iSkate Ltd was fined £12,000, and its director received a community order, following a June 2024 incident in which a worker was injured by a falling steel beam after a ratchet strap failed.
- In a significant legal development under the Building Safety Act 2022, the High Court issued the first anticipatory Building Liability Orders against companies linked to the insolvent contractor Ardmore. The orders make the entities liable for an adjudication award exceeding £14.9 million.
- Multiple firms, including Roots Contractors and Alchemist DB, have faced fines of between £13,000 and £20,000 for incidents between 2021 and 2024, involving platform collapses, drownings in excavations and equipment overturns.
The ONR and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continue to monitor compliance across these sites, noting that many of the serious injuries resulted from preventable control failures and inadequate planning. For BYLOR, the clock is now ticking on the September deadline.
