The gigantic construction project, which will connect Denmark and Germany in 2029, has been visited by the Danish Working Environment Authority. This resulted in two immediate orders against the contractor Femern Link Contractors.
One of the injunctions concerns the risk of falling. This means that work that does not take place on the ground is not carried out safely enough. Here the Working Environment Authority stopped the work. The second is about working with chemicals.
The Danish Working Environment Authority found during the inspection that employees were working on the edge of a cantilevered area of the tunnel elements, called “toe”, at a height of 3.5 metres. Adequate collective safety measures such as railings or nets were not set up, and the employees also did not use personal fall protection equipment.
– The danger of a crash was imminent and significant, the Working Environment Authority assesses in the decision. If an employee had fallen onto the sloping terrain with granite shards, it could have resulted in serious injury or death.
The contractor is required to ensure that the work is not carried out without effective safety measures.
And in the inspection report, which FemernReport has obtained access to, it says:
‘We have emphasized that the employee at the time was working squatting, all the way to the edge of the cantilever, without being secured collectively or individually while observing the approx. 3.5 meter long falls. If, during work, the employee falls 3.5 meters to the surface consisting of granite shards,
exposes the employee to a risk of a serious occupational accident with
open/closed fractures, major wounds, or in the worst case with loss of life
follow.’
Inadequate facilities
The second order deals with the work with the toxic epoxy product Webac 4710T, which was used for repairs on concrete surfaces. The Working Environment Authority found that the employees did not have access to separate changing rooms, where walking clothes and work clothes could be stored separately. In addition, there was a lack of sinks with running, hand-warm water in the work area, which is a requirement when working with epoxy products.
– The work was not planned or carried out in a fully sound manner in terms of health, says the Danish Working Environment Authority, which demands that the company immediately improve the facilities.
FLC must now comply with the orders, and the Working Environment Authority emphasizes that the requirements are not only about complying with the legislation, but also about ensuring the health and safety of the employees.
The Fehmarn Belt Tunnel, when completed, will be the world’s longest submerged tunnel and the longest tunnel for both road and rail traffic. The 18 km long tunnel will connect Rødbyhavn in Denmark with the island of Fehmarn in Germany and is expected to be completed in 2029.
