More light was shed on the collapse of a draft tube a couple of years ago at Muskrat Falls during testimony at the inquiry today.
Nobody was seriously injured when the tube collapsed as concrete was being poured, but project manager Scott O’Brien told the inquiry that the near-miss was the result of poor engineering and design.
The forms for the tube, which included seven two-by-tens, should have been bolted on, not nailed according to O’Brien.
(View of the draft tube structure prior to collapse, via Nalcor.)
The Newfoundland-based engineer who signed off on the drawings is no longer licensed to practice in this province, according to O’Brien.
He says Nalcor intervened and put in additional measures to reduce risk.
He says Astaldi was taking risks and making changes on the fly. He claims they had a number of near-misses that could have lead to injury—or worse.
Nalcor put in place an elevated standard which ordered Astaldi to use independent engineers.
(Southeast view after the draft tube collapse, via Nalcor.)
