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Nalcor V-P Gil Bennett |
One worker
was taken to hospital and seven others received first aid on May 29, 2016 when
a major section of the formworks collapsed, during a concrete pour at the site
of the powerhouse on the Muskrat Falls project.
Nalcor V-P Gilbert Bennett
promised a full investigation and report. One year later, Nalcor is still
ragging the puck, although — following some poking and prodding from this scribe — there are signs that one is finally forthcoming.
to have been on Gil Bennett’s desk within at most 48 hours of the collapse. In
the real world of construction — not the one Gil inhabits, but certainly on the Hebron GPS (which reported no
lost time accidents) — real managers and their senior bosses demand no less.
The report would have identified what had gone wrong, defined an immediate fix of
a gap in construction or inspection practices, and determined whether anyone had signed
off on any part of the installation without first performing their
due diligence. In such a case, the report would have also confirmed their replacement.
Indeed, no manager – unless he is completely clueless – would ever give the OK to place concrete in forms without first knowing all the causes which led to the failure.
scheduled work entailed a large concrete pour. It was not the last — not
even close. The necessity to proceed safely — keeping in mind the schedule —
would have signaled the importance of quickly getting to the bottom of the incident.
But
management on the project, being what it is, did not order the concrete to be
kept wet for easier removal and inspection. Days of men and jackhammers removing
the material, weeks later, conjures an image too foolish to describe.
Independent Engineer offered a glimpse into Nalcor’s inspection and diligence
practices in his Report dated November 2, 2016 — based upon a site visit which
occurred July 11-15, 2016. I noted in a Blog Post dated December 8, 2016 the following excerpt, the
IE’s Report having been released to the public only days before: