This page features both BDA and other industry safety alerts which will be useful for those in drilling and related activities.
Any reports sent to the BDA will be treated confidentially – there is no need for the BDA to publish a company’s name or details that will identify the company. We will however have to ensure that the report is authentic and valid.
March 2025 – Safety Alert – Reinforcement Cage Falls Onto the Machine Deck
February 2025 – Safety Share – Foot Fracture During Operation of Cable Percussion Machine
January 2025 – Safety Alert – Partial Overturn of Drilling Machine
January 2025 – Maintenance Alert – Winch Pillow Bearing Failures
December 2024 – Safety Alert – Winch Replacement and Certification Compliance
December 2024 – New SPT Swivel Assembly Design
November 2024 – Dropside Vehicles
October 2024 – Safety Alert – Unstable Piling Rig
October 2024 – Safety Alert – Dynamic Sampling Machine
September 2024 – Safety Share – Unsecured Load
July 2024 – Safety Alert – Swivel Hook Incident
July 2024 – C23 Alert – Working at Height (WAH) – Vehicle Unloading
June 2024 – Contractor Delivery Operator Working at Height – Lessons Learned
June 2024 – BDA Maintenance Alert – Winch Safe Working Loads and Max Capacity
June 2024 – Lessons Learned – Lithium Ion Battery Fire
May 2024 – Network Rail – Serious Road Traffic Collision
April 2024 – Fall of a Part of a Piling Hammer
April 2024 – Index Stuck Between Cable and Winch
Mar 2024 – Site Operative Fatality – Horizontal Directional Drilling Pipe Coil Trailer
Feb 2024 – Lessons Learned – Horizontal Directional Drilling Pipe Coil Trailer
Feb 2024 – Site Operative Fatality – Struck by Moving Plant
Jan 2024 – SHE Brief – Vehicle Wheel Losses
Jan 2024 – SHE Close Out – Vehicle Wheel Losses
Jan 2024 – SHE Communication – Beware of Overtightened Wheel Studs on Toyota Hilux Vehicles
Dec 2023 – Flexible Pipe Burst During Clearance Pumping
Nov 2023 – RIDDOR Injury – Fractured Rib from Uncontrolled Lowering of Engine Hood [Common cause incident]
Nov 2023 – SHWAQE Alert – Compactor Thumb Cut [Common cause incident]
Oct 2023 – SHWACE Alert – Struck by Excavator
Sept 2023 – Lifting Eyebolt Failure
Sept 2023 – Shared Learning – Gas Pipe Struck During Drilling – Carnoustie
Sept 2023 – Network Plus – The Use of Petrol Generators
Aug 2023 – SHWACE Alert – Container Incident
Aug 2023 – Streetlight Cable Damage
Aug 2023 – SHES Red Alert Briefing – Crushing Incident
Aug 2023 – HV Electric Cable Strike
July 2023 – Skyjack MEWP Recall
May 2023 – SWACE Alert – Towable Diesel Air Compressor
May 2023 – Excavator slipped down stockpile and overturned
May 2023 – Earthworks HiPo – Excavated UXB Incident
May 2023 – Cable Percussion Footbrake Failure
Mar 2023 – Manual Handling Alert
Mar 2023 – Trapped Finger (#2)
Mar 2023 – Trapped Finger (#1)
Mar 2023 – Pinched Fingers
Mar 2023 – Piling Contractor Strikes Water Main – AGS
Feb 2023 – Struck by Excavator Bucket – National Highways
Feb 2023 – Wire Rope Near Miss (2023)
Feb 2023 – Cable Percussion Clutch Guard
Jan 2023 – SHWACE Alert – Tractor Topple
Dec 2022 – SHE Alert – Wheel Detached from Trailer
Dec 2022 – Christmas Shutdown and New Year Restart – National Highways
Oct 2022 – Rig Topple
June 2022 – Fatigue Management Advisory Note
June 2022 – Eye Sight Standards for Driving in the UK
June 2022 – Catastrophic Failure of a Mobile Elevated Working Platform
June 2022 – Keeping it Safe & Legal – Van Driver Toolkit
May 2022 – Wire Rope Near Miss
May 2022 – MEWP Hoist Potential Separation
May 2022 – Lantra Awards Validity Checks
Apr 2022 – Traffic Management Operative struck by vehicle
Apr 2022 – Faulty Drilling Rig Interlock
Mar 2022 – Environmental Survey Team Encounters Seasonal Shooter
Feb 2022 – Excavators for Lifting Operations
Jan 2022 – Potential Highway Code Changes
Sept 2021 – Counterweight Head Injury
Aug 2021 – Anti-Vaccination and Anti-Mask Posters
July 2021 – Angle Grinder Chainsaw Disks
Jun 2021 – Crushed Arm – Hutte 204 Incident
Apr 2021 – Safety Breach – Piling Rig
Mar 2021 – Fitting a New Water Swivel to a Rotary Drilling Rig
Mar 2021 – Finger Injury – Highways England
Mar 2021 – Winch Cable Failure Incident – Highways England
Mar 2021 – High Pressure Gas Main Strike – Highways England
Mar 2021 – Cable Percussion Rig Axel Bolt Findings
Feb 2021 – Telehandler Barrel Pin Failures
Feb 2021 – High Potential Near Miss – Falling Object
Jan 2021 – Hammer Injury
Jan 2021 – Return to Work – Safety Alert – Highways England
Nov 2020 – Vehicle Compliance Checklist – Highways England
Oct 2020 – Inveraray Rig Overturn Dangerous Occurrence
Oct 2020 – 230V Cable Strike
Oct 2020 – Winch Motor Failure
Oct 2020 – Reporting a Utility Strike on Airsweb
Oct 2020 – Serious Hand Injury – Telehandler Fork Adjustment
Oct 2020 – Series of Service Strikes
Oct 2020 – Lower Thames Crossing RIDDOR Accident
Sept 2020 – Upper Limb Injury
Sept 2020 – Reportable Injury – Lower Thames Crossing – Ground Investigation Package C
Sept 2020 – Failure to detect dangerous gas/vapour due to incorrect specification of sample tube
Sept 2020 – Hydraulic hose failure
June 2020 – Ignition of Gas service following a strike
June 2020 – Wax Melting Vessel Fire Risk
June 2020 – Missing Hazardous Substance – Talunex
June 2020 – Drilling Rig Safety
June 2020 – Use of face masks designated KN95
June 2020 – 5G Protest Posters/Stickers – Cut/Sharps Risk
May 2020 – Air suspension system on vehicles
Mar 2020 – Excavator unloading incident
Mar 2020 – Wire rope breakage on rotary rig winch
Mar 2020 – Maintenance alert for wire ropes on cable percussion winches
Sep 2019 – Mandatory stop notice – Miller MightEvac Lifeline
Aug 2019 – Maintenance Alert – Hoisting Reel
Jul 2019 – Raising Shell Riddor Incident
Jul 2019 – Slipform Auger Incident
Jul 2019 – Lyme Disease Incident
Jun 2019 – Mobile wefare unit fire
Jun 2019 – U100 Sliding hammer alert
Apr 2019 – Malicious needle stick injury
Jan 2019 – Driver killed after grab arm hits overhead power line
Jan 2019 – Cancer risk from mild steel welding fumes
Jan 2019 – Quarry firm fined after worker gets entangled in unguarded machine
Dec 2018 – Dumper throttle pedal incident
Dec 2018 – Crawler crane highway incident
Oct 2018 – Severe laceration to finger from measuring tape
Oct 2018 – Uncontrolled release of winch wire whilst under tension
Oct 2018 – Seasonal trip and fall alert
Oct 2018 – High potential near miss from lighting column
Oct 2018 – Maintenance of machinery whilst running
Oct 2018 – Exploding head torch battery
Sep 2018 – Two construction fined £1.4m after worker got foot trapped in rotating screw
Sep 2018 – 194 SIP grenades found on Cambridge building site
Sep 2018 – Blackthorn injury to hand
Sep 2018 – Serious injury from rotating winch
Aug 2018 – Lifting incident
Aug 2018 – Defective scaffold couplers
Jul 2018 – Crush injuries to piling operative
Jun 2018 – Construction firm fined over £500k after overhead power line contact
May 2018 – Freewheeling dumper crushes trench worker
May 2018 – Construction firm fined after death of dumper driver
Feb 2018 – Contractor fined £500,000 after worker run over by tipper truck
Jan 2018 – Contractor crushed between excavator and dumper
Nov 2017 – Contractor fined for cable strike burns
Nov 2017 – Serious laceration from borehole cover
Nov 2017 – Motorway near miss unloading CP rig
Oct 2017 – Blue Electric Cable
Oct 2017 – Broken leg after fall into hole
Sep 2017 – Auger penetration into rail tunnel
Sep 2017 – Operative severely injured by tele-handler (full details not known)
Jul 2017 – Near miss – falling swivel
Jul 2017 – Firm Fined £120,000 for ignoring HAVS
Jul 2017 – Drilling rig boom dump rams failure
Jul 2017 – Two jailed for trench fatality
Jun 2017 – Cable strike incidents
Jun 2017 – Track tensioning fatality
Jun 2017 – Maintenance alert for CP rigs
May 2017 – Worker buried in 3m trench collapse
Mar 2017 – Contractor fined £400,000 after worker fell 4m
Mar 2017 – Needle stick injury warning
Mar 2017 – Inadequate service information led to cable strike and £600k fine
Mar 2017 – Firm fined £183,000 for back injuries to workers
Feb 2017 – Ground engineer ignored worker’s numb hands
Jan 2017 – Surge in HAV breaches reported
Jan 2017 – 11kV Cable strike with breaker
Jan 2017 – Recall alert for Bosch angle grinders
Dec 2016 – Contractors hit with £2m fine after worker breaks leg in trench
Dec 2016 –Council fined £250,000 for not protecting workers’ health
Nov 2016 – Key health and safety statistics Great Britain (2015/16)
Nov 2016 –Large fine after pile tester died from carbon monoxide poisoning in welfare unit
Nov 2016 – Drilling contractor and client fined after mast hits 11kV power line
Oct 2016 – Dumper Fatality – M1 smart motorway contract
Oct 2016 – CP incidents – Severed thumb and broken finger
Sep 2016 – Finger injury whilst concrete coring
Sep 2016 – Contractor suffered burns and nerve damage after cable strike
Sep 2016 – American drilling fatalities from unguarded drill rigs
Aug 2016 – Crane operator loses licence for falsifying driver records
July 2016 –Contractor fined £120,000 after worker sprained ankle
June 2016 – Firm fined £250,000 when workers are overcome by fumes in confined space
June 2016 – Firm fined £500,000 after engineer breaks his back in fall
June 2016 – Firm fined £250,000 for overdue LOLER inspections
May 2016 – Casing incident severs driller thumb on jack-up barge
May 2016 – Major contractor fined £2.6 million after worker fatally crushed in trench
May 2016 – Hard shoulder near miss(video)
May 2016 – Serious injuries from stored energy in HDD rods
May 2016 – High Pressure Gas Main Near Miss
May 2016 – Sinker bar – serious near miss
Apr 2016 – Flying object – Serious incident
Apr 2016 – Contractor jailed following trench collapse death
Apr 2016 – Contractor fined after worker injured in cable strike
Mar 2016 – Worker Loses Finger When Glove Gets caught in Drill
Feb 2016 – Drilling Damages Underground Tunnel Causing Debris to Fall onto Tube Train
Feb 2016 – Worker Dies After His Clothing Gets Tangled in a Rotary Auger Drilling Rig
Jan 2016 – Archaeological Investigation Exempt from CDM
Jan 2016 – Dangerous Silica Dust Presentation
Jan 2016 – Overturning Dynamic Sampling Rig
Jan 2016 – Head Injury to Driller
Jan 2016 – Fork Lift Extensions
Jan 2016 – HSE Reiterates Guidance for Concrete Cutting
Dec 2015 – 2 Workers Seriously Burned After Hitting 11,000v Cable
Dec 2015 – Driller Loses Fingers in Unguarded Rig
Nov 2015 – Blue Electric Cables
Nov 2015 – Firm Fined For Excavation Collapse
Nov 2015 – Generator Incident
Nov 2015 – Contractor in Court After Unsafe Excavation Puts Public and Workers at Risk
Oct 2015 – Client Fined After Cable Strike While Digging Trench Leaves Worker With Life Changing Injuries
Oct 2015 – SPT Hammer Lifting Eye Failure
Oct 2015 – Recycling firm fined £200,000 after employee struck by telehandler
Oct 2015 – Sinker Bar Failure – Near miss
Oct 2015 –Piling Contractor Fined For Unguarded Rig
Oct 2015 – HSE Guidance – The prevention of entanglement in the rotary parts of drilling and piling rigs
Oct 2015 – Construction Firm Fined by HMRC for Red Diesel in Tractor on Public Road
Sep 2015 – Construction Firm Fined by HSE for Lack of Welfare Facilities
Sep 2015 – Construction Firm Fined by HSE for Unsecure Site
July 2015 – Quarry Company Fined After Major Face Failure
July 2015 – Stihl Saw Laceration
July 2015 – Telehandler Overturned on Soft Ground
July 2015 – Dangerous Release of Gas Whilst Piling
July 2015 – Cracking Warning over imported rebar
July 2015 – Summer Heat Stress – Be Prepared
July 2015 – Worker’s serious injuries after arms entangled in machine
June 2015 – Farm fined for fracturing gas pipeline
May 2015 – Health and Safety Laboratory – New Grip Rating for Safety Footwear
Apr 2015 – Overturned drilling rig whilst unloading
Apr 2015 – Overturned 14t Excavator whilst unloading
Mar 2015 – Finger injury forced amputation (warning – graphic pictures!)
Mar 2015 – Firm and director fined after excavation collapse
Feb 2015 – Nuneaton company in court after worker pulled into unguarded machine
Feb 2015 – Rig Guarding to BS EN 16228:2014. A BDA Member who recently bought a new rig which complied with BS EN 16228:2014 found that after they carried out their risk assessment that it did not meet the higher standard given in PUWER regulations. Members of the BDA who purchase or hire a drilling or piling rig which complies with BS EN 16228:2014 are advised to carry out their own risk assessment under PUWER to ensure they follow their Duty of Care and that the rig is fit for purpose.
Jan 2015 – Serious Head Injuries From Stilson Wrench Attached to Drill String
Jan 2015 – Glasgow Construction Firm in Court Over Power Line Damage
Dec 2014 – Wear your Hi-Viz & Keep it Clean
Dec 2014 – Company Sentenced After Worker Killed by Reversing Excavator
Nov 2014 – Toppling Over of Drill Rig During Set Up
Nov 2014 – HSE – Carriage of Acetylene in Vehicles
Nov 2014 – Company Fined After Piling Contractor Suffers Serous Injuries
Nov 2014 – Tracking of Rig with Mast Raised. It has come to the BDA’s attention that some drilling operatives have been moving rigs around site with the mast or feed frame still in the raised position. This is bad practice and contrary to the advice given in the BDA Health and Safety Manual Sec 15.1.13. A rig travelling with a raised mast will have a radically elevated centre of gravity and could lead to it toppling over as in the attached clip.
Oct 2014 – Hydraulic Injection Incident (Fatal)
Oct 2014 – Plant, Pedestrian Crush Incident
Oct 2014 – Slinging Incident
Aug 2014 – Reversing Incident
June 2014 – Equipment Damage
Sept 2014 – Deliveries Near Railway Lines
Aug 2014 – 20 mph London Speed Limit
Aug 2014 – Mini Piling Crush Injury
June 2014 – Cable strike incident
June 2014 – Fatal van crash
June 2014 – Geobore Head
June 2014 – HSE Blitz
February 2012 – Cable Strike potential serious incident
February 2012 – Operative electric shock
January 2012 – Angle Grinder handle breakage
January 2012 – Securing site cabins
December 2011 – Sampling Slide Hammer Failure
December 2011 – Excavations – Protection of public
December 2011 – Confined Space accident
February 2010 – Hydraulic Fluid Injection into finger and hand following hydraulic oil leak on a drilling rig
August 2009 – Fatality in off-loading drill pipe in Australia
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