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Health & Safety Fears Driving Workers Off Hull Building Site
Prioritising health and safety is a must for all businesses, but especially those working in the construction sector, which is one of the most dangerous industries for anyone to operate in.
Yet it seems that there is more some firms could be doing in this regard, given news from the Hull Daily Mail that nearly 300 construction workers have walked off site while building a new power station in the city because of fears over health and safety.
It’s thought that the mass walk-out at the Energy Works site was triggered, not only by health and safety, but also the standard of facilities for the contractors. One employee, who elected to remain anonymous, said some of the fire alarms weren’t working properly, citing an incident that took place where contractors were unaware the site had been evacuated during a fire alarm.
He went on to say that managers were aware that there were not enough alarms on site, adding that the cold weather may have drained the batteries of those that were installed. Other concerns included leaking waste pipes in toilets, as well as a parking area for sub-contractors that was in poor condition.
Energy Works issued a statement, saying: “A representative from Energy Works (Hull) Ltd is in attendance at the energy-from-waste facility which is under construction on Cleveland Street, Hull, and can confirm the site remains operational and works are continuing.
“Furthermore, an independent health and safety audit was undertaken on Wednesday that confirmed the site is being operated and controlled in a safe manner.”
Once complete, Energy Works will produce enough electricity to power 43,000 homes – which is more than a third of all homes in Hull. The aim is to make use of sustainable waste sources to generate renewable energy to then provide power to homes and businesses in the UK.
The site is being designed so that it is combined heat and power ready, in order to ensure that local heat demand in the future has a green energy solution. Feedstock will be used to power the gasifer and will be processed first so that any other materials that can be reused will be. Some 250,000 tonnes of waste will be diverted away from landfill sites as a result.
A consultancy report carried out estimated that carbon savings of about 30,000 tonnes a year over conventional energy generation would be achieved, as would a 71 per cent drop in traffic after moving the sites away from their previous uses.
Energy Works will be the first such facility of its kind here in the UK, combining innovative renewable energy technologies to drive an efficient mix of energy conversion and recycling processes. A grant of nearly £20 million was awarded to the project from the European Regional Development Fund to help bring it to fruition.
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