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

BULK BAG COLLAPSE CAUSED BY UNSAFE STACKING

Bulk bag collapsed onto workman when struck by fork lift

INTERLOCKED GUARD NOT WORKING TO ISOLATE POWER

Two workmen seriously injured when plant started unexpectedly

STREET FURNITURE RISK TO PUBLIC FINED £1.4M

Council prosecuted following injury to child playing on hinged bollard

WORKMEN SUFFER SERIOUS BURNS FROM CABLE STRIKE

Assessment and system of work failed to appreciate electrical risk

LADDERS WERE INAPPROPRIATE FOR WORK ON ROOF

Workman paralysed after falling whilst installing roof ladder

FIRM FAILED TO MANAGE EXHAUST VENTILATION

HSE enforcement notices on wood dust and welding fume ignored

RECALCITRANT DIRECTOR BARRED FROM OFFICE

Dangerous telehandler used despite earlier fatality and enforcement

DIRECTOR HID UNSAFE WORKING PRACTICES FROM HSE

Workers exposed to sprayed paints containing asthma causing isocyantes

JAIL TERM FOR CONTRACTOR CAUSING GAS RISK

Roofer sentenced after work caused carbon monoxide release

UNSTABLE STAIRCASE COLLAPSE DURING REFURB WORK

Workman not informed of staircase hazard suffered serious injury

UNUSED SEAT BELT WAS “COMMON PRACTICE” ON SITE

Overturning dumper truck caused death of operators at spoil heap

SELECTED NEWS POSTED RECENTLY ON TWITTER

Links to other construction health and safety related news reports

HSE LOOK TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR CDM SUPPORT

Council Inspectors focus on CDM client duties – asbestos, fragility and RCS

VERBAL WARNING OF DANGER IS NO DEFENCE

Hand of female worker entangled in modified metal drilling rig

UNDERGROUND CABLE STRIKE CAUSES 50% BURNS

Workman seriously injured using hand-held breaker to excavate post holes

HSE WELDING FUME REVISED GUIDANCE PUBLISHED

New research evidence on cancer link prompts revision on welding fume

VIBRATION MANAGEMENT FAILINGS FINED £600,000

Vital health surveillance, tool replacement and management found wanting

HSE ENFORCEMENT DATABASE LATEST UPDATE

View current online register of HSE prosecutions and enforcement notices

DEVELOPER AND DIRECTOR PUT PUBLIC AT RISK

Demolition undertaken without surveys and effective safety precautions

BY-PASSING MACHINE INTERLOCK FINED £1.275 MILLION

Trapped key safety system failed to prevent access to conveyor danger

HSE LOSES PATIENCE WITH ERRANT CONTRACTOR

Roofing firm fined £30,000 over failure to manage work at height risks

TRUSS ERECTION LACKED INTERNAL FALL PROTECTION

Carpenter fell and injured whilst falling with roof truss

WORKMAN FELL HEAD FIRST THROUGH ROOFLIGHT

Fragile roof dangers not assessed and properly controlled

STRUCTURAL SAFETY BODY LATEST NEWSLETTER

CROSS publishes reports and expert comment on a range of issues

HSE RISK REDUCTION THROUGH DESIGN AWARD

Regulator seeks to promote hazard avoidance and risk minimisation

News Archives