Over 700 safety incidents reported during Queensferry Crossing construction

A Freedom of information request has revealed that there were more than 700 incidents, including over 300 '˜near misses' recorded during the construction of the Queensferry Crossing.

The Queensferry Crossing. Picture; contributed

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730 incidents were reported with 329 near misses reported since construction began in 2011. Transport Scotland stated that 329 incidents could have caused significant damage under different circumstances.

While the majority of incidents were described as minor, some were serious with ambulances called on four occasions.

Over 700 incidents happened on the Crossing. Picture; contributed

According to a report from The I, who obtained the information, serious incidents included a construction worker who was assaulted in March 2013, a supervisor who had the tip of his middle finger amputated in August 2015 after operating a machine, a construction worker who suffered a suspected heart attack, a small fire on a vesel and a welder who set his own jacket on fire.

There was also a fatal accident during the construction with John Cousin being killed after being struck by the boom of a crane.

The Labour MSP Neil Findlay, told the I: “There are serious questions to be answered here about worker safety during the lifetime of this project. We have already seen reports of workers being ripped off during the project. “The Queensferry Crossing is a flagship infrastructure project for Scotland – but more and more questions are beginning to arise about the working conditions around it, which is simply unacceptable for Scotland.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Over 10,000 people have worked on the project’s construction site, delivering over 20,000 construction activities over the course of nearly 15 million working hours across the project so far. In line with good practice guidelines, every incident and near miss is recorded. “The vast majority of the incidents are very minor in nature but the figures do include those which are more serious. “Following good industry practice, we continue to learn lessons from all incidents and near misses on this site and on others, to allow us to minimise the risk of future occurrences. “All partners on the project are fully committed to ensuring the health and safety of everyone working on site and safety remains the number one priority at all times.”