Didcot Power Station - events and incidents, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

A further update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Didcot Power Station collapse: Families of missing hold protest


The families of three missing workers from Swansea and Rotherham took part in the protest at the Didcot A site

The families of three missing workers feared trapped following a collapse at Didcot Power Station have held a "peaceful protest" at the site.

Two of the three families have previously criticised the rescue operation saying it has been too slow.

One person died and five were injured after half of the decommissioned Didcot A plant collapsed on 23 February.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive)) said recovering the missing men remained the "priority".

Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, are still missing in the rubble.

Jade Ali has previously said she had been "left in the dark" about the search for her partner Mr Huxtable. The 28-year-old set up an online petition to "get the three men out" which has so far been signed by more than 15,000 people.

John Howley, Mr Cresswell's uncle, also said there had been a "diabolical" delay in getting to the missing men.

During the protest, Mr Cresswell's wife Gail described the three missing men as "much loved".

"We've got to have them home, we need them home - they need out of this," she said. "They're hardworking men who have worked down here all this time and this is the thanks they get, left under rubble all this time."

Mr Huxtable's 14-year-old niece Mollie Williams said: "It's heartbreaking to know your uncle is under there trying to fight for his life and nothing is happening."

In a joint statement, Thames Valley Police and the HSE said they were waiting for site owners RWE to "produce a plan for a safe method of working before the next stage of the recovery can begin".

"Once this is received and approved by HSE, emergency services are on hand to recover the missing men," it said. "Preparation at the site, for the recovery, is taking place and will continue over the weekend."

RWE said it was providing an independent assessment "on the stability of the remaining structure".

The firm added it "recognises the impact this state of uncertainty must be having on the families concerned and that it is of paramount importance to respond to this tragic situation", and said it had offered to meet up with the affected families "next week when we have more information".

Police have previously said it was "highly unlikely" the missing men were still alive and that recovering bodies would take "many, many weeks".

Dave Etheridge, the chief fire officer working at the site, has also defended the handling of the rescue attempt. He said the service was dealing with a "weakened" structure and needed to minimise the risk to rescuers.

Police and the HSE said they were "working hard to identity as soon as possible what caused the building to partially collapse, to provide answers and prevent such a tragedy happening again".

Specialist police officers "continue to support the families at this difficult time and we are providing them with regular updates on the progress", they added.

[patch38]

Hmm. Unfortunately it's easy to see the story from both points of view. Sadly, only the post mortems will now reveal the truth.

[ChrisB]

It can't be rocket science to develop a plan to safely drop the remaining part of the building so as to be able to start the clearing/searching of the area?

Sod trying to work out why it dropped (they must be pretty close to understanding)...getting the bodies to the relatives now I feel is far more important than a post-mortem on why it happened

[ellendune]

It can't be rocket science to develop a plan to safely drop the remaining part of the building so as to be able to start the clearing/searching of the area?

Sod trying to work out why it dropped (they must be pretty close to understanding)...getting the bodies to the relatives now I feel is far more important than a post-mortem on why it happened

Very tempting view. I have thought this myself, but then the engineer in me kicks in. Actually, given how unstable the structure obviously is, trying to find a way to drop it without killing anyone else is far from easy. 

[ChrisB]

Drop a bomb (delayed fuse) on it by drone/helicopter/RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force)?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thereby obliterating any remaining chance of returning the bodies of the deceased to their families? 

[broadgage]

What I find sad but also worrying is that a significant proportion of friends and relatives seem to believe that the victims are still alive.
There seems regrettably too much talk of "rescue" rather than recovering bodies.

[broadgage]

It can't be rocket science to develop a plan to safely drop the remaining part of the building so as to be able to start the clearing/searching of the area?

Sod trying to work out why it dropped (they must be pretty close to understanding)...getting the bodies to the relatives now I feel is far more important than a post-mortem on why it happened

Very tempting view. I have thought this myself, but then the engineer in me kicks in. Actually, given how unstable the structure obviously is, trying to find a way to drop it without killing anyone else is far from easy. 

One possibility that occurred to me.
Use a helicopter to loop a long length of steel rope around the still standing part of the structure, dropping the ends to the ground.
Then at ground level attach the ends of the steel rope (extending them if need be) to an HGV or an army tank at a safe distance.
By pulling on the steel rope with sufficient force it should be possible to pull down the still standing part of the structure, and moreover to pull it AWAY from the collapsed part and thus not hamper the recovery of the bodies.
Alternatively, a grappling hook attached to steel rope could be dropped from the air onto a suitable part of the building, and again pulled or winched from a safe distance.
More controllable than bombing or shelling, and no close approach to the unstable structure required to place explosives for a controlled explosion.

[TonyK]

One possibility that occurred to me.
Use a helicopter to loop a long length of steel rope around the still standing part of the structure, dropping the ends to the ground.
Then at ground level attach the ends of the steel rope (extending them if need be) to an HGV or an army tank at a safe distance.
By pulling on the steel rope with sufficient force it should be possible to pull down the still standing part of the structure, and moreover to pull it AWAY from the collapsed part and thus not hamper the recovery of the bodies.
Alternatively, a grappling hook attached to steel rope could be dropped from the air onto a suitable part of the building, and again pulled or winched from a safe distance.
More controllable than bombing or shelling, and no close approach to the unstable structure required to place explosives for a controlled explosion.

Whilst more controllable than the bombing method suggested elsewhere, and doubtless less objectionable to the families, the helicopter / steel rope is too dangerous. No-one knows what state the remainder of the building is in - in fact, the collapse shows that it was not in the state that it had been assessed as being in. You would need a fairly chunky helicopter to lift a steel cable - this is no job for a Robinson R22. Two engines would be required for safety, meaning a Puma, Chinook, or similar civilian equipment. If the wash from the rotors prompted a further collapse, and that would be far from unlikely in a risk assessment, you could have heavy rubble fall on the cable, and the addition of a helicopter to the wreckage.

Safety is paramount. Sadly, the missing men will not have survived. Lives cannot be risked in the recovery operation, which will take as long as it takes. If a big enough machine is available, the best way would probably to take it down bit by bit from the top downwards

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bodies search begins as debris removal starts at Didcot power station

Work to locate the bodies of three missing men and clear debris from the site of the collapsed Didcot power station, has started.

Heavy lifting gear has been brought in to clear the site of the accident which killed one man whose body was recovered, and injured five others.

The recovery operation has been criticised by their families of the missing men for being too slow.

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive said returning the missing men to their families "remains a priority".

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not been found following the collapse.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Cleveland, North Yorkshire, was recovered from the site. His funeral was held near Redcar on Tuesday, with hundreds of bikers attending.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive said: "Starting today, large equipment and people will be arriving on site to start work to enable the recovery operation to resume at the weekend, sooner if possible. Our priority remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families and to understand what caused this incident. Specialist officers from Thames Valley Police continue to support the families and are providing them with regular updates on the progress of this work."

Demolition company Coleman and Co said: "Our over-riding priority remains to support the families of those who have died or are still tragically missing, and the start of the recovery operation is an important milestone in a process to re-unite our missing colleagues with their families."

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Didcot power station bodies search 'will take time'

A 40m (131ft) pile of rubble has been cleared from the collapsed Didcot power station site but finding the three missing men will take time, police have said.

The collapse killed four workers - one body has been recovered - and injured five others.

Thames Valley Police say 20,000 tonnes of material remain, but the recovery operation was progressing to schedule.

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive)), together with the police, are carrying out a joint investigation into the cause of the collapsed boiler house.

The recovery mission by RWE Npower began on 19 March and is being supported by forensic archaeologists, metallurgists and structural engineers, with drones and cameras gathering information.

Specialists from the police, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue's Urban Search and Rescue, and the South Central Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team are also at the scene.


The Health and Safety Executive and police are investigating the collapse

A police spokesman said: "The absolute priority of the multi-agency response to this incident remains the recovery of the missing men so they can be returned to their families. These debris removal works are ongoing seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. Whilst to date everything is progressing to plan, due to the complex nature of the collapse the recovery phase will still take some time."

The standing structure remains in an unsafe condition, he added.


Police dogs have been used to search the wreckage

He said officers were supporting the families affected, providing them with regular updates.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea; Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not yet been found.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Cleveland, North Yorkshire, was recovered from the site.


The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed in February

[Chris from Nailsea]

A further update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Didcot power station: Family fight explosives plan

The family of one of the missing workers trapped at the collapsed Didcot A Power Station say they will fight the decision to use explosives on the site.

Steve Hall, the son-in-law of Ken Cresswell, said: "We want the men back in one piece, not many pieces."

It comes as RWE Npower announced plans to bring the rest of the building down by controlled explosive demolition. The firm said it would use a technique which would see the structure fall away from the existing pile of debris.

But Mr Hall said: "We are totally against it and we will fight and do whatever we have to to stop that blast."

Speaking on BBC Radio Oxford, Mr Hall said the family were in doubt over the building falling "the way they want it to". He said: "It could fall on the pile that's there which means the men will be buried under more material and metal. I don't know how they've come to the conclusion that the only way is to blast it."


Emergency service workers have been at the site in Didcot since the collapse

In a statement RWE Npower said: "We understand that any potential work involving further explosive demolition on site causes distress for the families. Having explored other manual options, our experts have made it clear that the quickest and safest way to bring the building down is by controlled explosive demolition."

The plant was set for demolition when it collapsed on 23 February.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not been found following the collapse. The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, was recovered from the site.

The cause of the collapsed boiler house is being investigated jointly by police and The Health and Safety Executive.

[Chris from Nailsea]

A further development, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Didcot power station collapse: New firm to manage recovery work

A new contractor will take over work within the next month to recover the bodies of three men killed when Didcot A Power Station collapsed.

Demolition firm Brown and Mason will also clear the collapsed section of the boiler house and demolish the rest of the building.

It is set to replace Coleman and Company, which still has responsibility for demolition at the wider site.

Four workers died when the plant collapsed on 23 February.

In a statement, Coleman and Company said it was "hugely disappointing" it had to cease work at the site. "We all wanted to recover our friends and colleagues and return them to their families," the company said. "It has been explained to us that this decision has been made for reasons of safe-guarding employee welfare and the preservation of critical evidence."

RWE Npower has announced plans to bring the rest of the building down by a controlled explosive demolition.

The bodies of Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, have not yet been found following the collapse. The body of Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, has been recovered from the site.

The cause of the collapse is being investigated jointly by police and The Health and Safety Executive.

[ChrisB]

Understandable as charges maybe be pending & leaving the current contractors on site may affect any evidence that could be in situ

[ray951]

According to the press the Boiler House is being blown up this Sunday (17th July) between 05.30 and 07.30.