DAILY MAIL REVEALS BASIC DESIGN FLAWS AT T5

Changing light bulbs in London Heathrow Terminal 5 set to “cost millions”

It has been reported (24th Nov) by the Mail Online that most of the light bulbs in London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 departure lounge have now ‘blown’ and not replaced because there is no safe way to gain the required access.

The plan to change the bulbs will it is said to now take four months and will cost “millions of pounds”.

It appears that when the £4.5billion terminal was constructed the design overlooked how to safely change 120,000 lightbulbs located 120ft above the Terminal floor. None of the the bulbs have been replaced since 2008 and in some areas up to 60 per cent of the lights have failed.

The Mail Online states that an email obtained by news website Exaro suggested that Terminal 5’s owners had been unable to solve the problem despite experimenting with cherry-pickers and hydraulic boom lifts. A team of specialist ‘wire walkers’ is reported to have now been engaged to prevent “the lights going out completely”.

The email reportedly sent to staff by Vicki O’Brien, Head of Heathrow Customer Service at British Airways said:

“As many of you will have seen recently, the departures concourse has been becoming darker than normal in the late afternoons/evenings, as well as in the early mornings. The reason for the poor light is that 60 per cent of the downlighters have failed, and until recently Heathrow had no viable way to replace them.

Various things have been investigated in the past five years, but for a number of reasons none of these were practical or safe. The good news is that Heathrow has now identified a safe and robust way to replace all the lightbulbs, and this is high-level rope work carried out by a specialist company.”

A spokesman for Heathrow said:

“The current lighting on the Terminal 5 concourse is being replaced with environmentally friendly LED bulbs. Contingency lighting has been used on the concourse while a viable and safe solution for replacing the lights was being agreed.”

This article was posted on 25th November 2013 in ALL LATEST NEWS, CDM: DESIGNERS, MANAGEMENT.
PP Construction Safety H&S Assistance and Consultancy service.

Construction Health & Safety News, Advice and Information from PP Construction Safety

DAILY MAIL REVEALS BASIC DESIGN FLAWS AT T5

Changing light bulbs in London Heathrow Terminal 5 set to “cost millions”

Latest Construction Health and Safety News

POORLY DESIGNED SCHOOL GATE CRUSHED CHILD

Sliding gate over-run mechanism proved insufficiently robust

POWER GENERATOR PROSECUTED OVER UNSAFE SYSTEM

Maintenance workers seriously injured when energy suddenly released

CEILING BELOW SAVES WORKMAN IN ROOFLIGHT FALL

Roofworker fell through roof after stepping on fragile rooflight

INEXPERIENCED WORKER FELL THROUGH OPENING

No physical protection or warning of opening and fragile covering

CDM PRINCIPAL DESIGNER IN COURT OVER FIRE RISK

Designers and contractor prosecuted for risk management failings

LATEST HSE CONVICTIONS AND NOTICES REGISTERS

View current online HSE registers of prosecution convictions and notices

PRISON SENTENCE FOR RECALCITRANT DIRECTOR

Prohibition and improvement notices ignored and danger persisted

TEMPORARY WORKS HOARDING FELL ON PEDESTRIAN

Member of the public struck when site fence collapsed suddenly

CHILD FATALLY INJURED BY UNSECURED POLE

Pole stored on embankment moved and trapped boy against fencing

OWNER RESPONSE TO HSE INSPECTION ENDED IN COURT

Police uphold HSE right to inspect without threats, aggression or abuse

HSE TARGETING WELDING FUME CANCER RISK

Inspections to enforce improved controls required by new risk evidence

CONTRACTOR FAILED TO REPLACE MISSING PROTECTION

Painter and decorator fractured hip in fall from landing

RISK OF DERMATITIS SUFFICIENT FOR PROSECUTION

Company failed to implement controls and surveillance required by COSHH

COSHH FAILINGS CAUSE ASTHMA AND PROVE COSTLY

Uncontrolled exposure to isocyanates during paint spraying operations

POLICE EMPLOYEE SHOCKED BY DATA CABLE WORK

South Wales Force fined over electric shock from ceiling void cable

COLLAPSE OF PUMP SET TRAPPED WORKMAN

Unsafe system of work transferring from pallet to a raised platform

MODIFIED PODIUM STEPS CAUSE FALL FROM HEIGHT

Firm failed to select and correctly assemble with necessary training

SCHOOL LACKED SAFE SYSTEM FOR ROOF RETRIEVAL

Workman fell from roof whilst retrieving shoe of pupil

ARM OF WORKMAN AMPUTATED IN CONVEYOR

Major construction materials supplier fined heavily over unsafe system

CONCRETE BLOCK PLANT GUARDING BREACHED

Sections of machinery perimeter safety fencing missing for months

FATAL FUEL TANK EXPLOSION DURING CUTTING

Companies failed to meet known, established and clear standards

FIRMS FINED HEAVILY OVER STUDENT FIRE RISK

Senior fire officers found “blatant disregard” for law and resident safety

ROOFER SURVIVED OVER 6M FALL FROM ROOF EDGE

Replacement of asbestos cement roof lacked proper planning

CLIENT & BUILDER ACCOUNT FOR ASBESTOS FAILINGS

Asbestos survey identified ACMs which were removed without controls

UNSAFE USE OF SKIP LIFTER CAUSED FATALITY

Fork lift being lifted on to vehicle fell when winch wire failed under load

News Archives