Finger horror, crashed truck, overturned cleaner and runaway tractor.. all within 24 hours on £745million bypass project
Graeme Donohoe Workers on the controversial Aberdeen bypass have been given safety warnings after a series of terrifying accidents.
In a chaotic 24-hour period, a worker lost a finger, a dumper truck overturned, a sweeper flipped over and there was a runaway tractor.
Now officials are investigating after 10 safety breaches were identified.
The man who lost his f inger was hurt in the south section of the road. Surgeons were unable to re-attach the severed digit.
The troubled Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) has been hampered with delays and spiralling costs. It has also been blamed for contr ibut ing to the col lapse of construction giant Carillion.
Shares in another joint venture partner, Gal liford Try, slumped by 19 per cent after the company asked shareholders for an extra £150million to complete the project.
A source claims pressure to keep costs down on the £745million road-building scheme is putting safety at risk. The job is already running months late.
The source said: “There was a chaotic 24-hour period on the south section and one poor worker lost a finger in a serious incident that is now being investigated.
“On the same day, there was a dumper truck overturned, a sweeper f lipped over and there was an issue with a runaway tractor.
“There was just a series of alarming incidents and everyone was read the riot act on health and safety.
“We had been working towards the job being finished by the end of 2017 but it’s likely to be July or August before it’s completed. The Aberdeen bypass has been a pig of a job for everyone involved.”
Fears that the AWPR may not be f inished until late summer will dismay road users and business leaders in Aberdeen.
The project, overseen by government agency Transport Scotland, started out as a construction joint venture with Balfour Beattie, Carillion and Galliford Try. The agency and Transport Minister Keith Brown have come under fire for keeping locals in the dark about when it will open following Carillion’s meltdown.
In a letter to the AWPR, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Russell Borthwick said: “Stakeholders understand that sometimes there are delays to major infrastructure projects.
“What is unacceptable is not being given clarity. Businesses need to forward plan and the chamber continue to receive queries from members as to when the route will be open in full.”
Carillion went into liquidation in January, reportedly leaving a pension black hole of almost £1billion.
Galliford Try asked investors for £150million earlier this month to help fund their work on the bypass.
The firm, who employ 5700 UK workers, explained: “Cost over-runs on AWPR, compounded by the liquidation of Carillion, have increased the group’s cash commitments on the project.”
Transport Scotland said: “There were a number of unrelated incidents last week and Aberdeen Roads Limited have now held a programme of safety briefings across the site to once again stress the importance of health and safety and ensure that any lessons learned can be implemented without delay.
“The Health and Safety Executive are informed of any incidents as appropriate.
“It has also been confirmed that these recent incidents will not require HSE investigations.”
An HSE spokeswoman said: “We have been trying to contact the company to get some more indication of what has happened. We cannot confirm the extent of the injuries.
“As we know, the company’s internal team will be investigating the incident.
“We’re aware but there is no reason for us to act at this point.”
There was a series of alarming incidents and everyone was read the riot act on safety