Diacutt and Roots platform collapse: temporary works lessons for site engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Temporary platform collapse on a Roots Contractors Limited site left drilling operative Steve Zschoch with a fractured neck after he was “folded up like a concertina” beneath the failed structure while working for subcontractor Diacutt Limited. Both firms have now been fined for safety failings relating to the design, installation and verification of the temporary working platform, which was being used for drilling operations. The case reinforces the need for formal temporary works design checks, competent supervision and load-path verification for access platforms on small civil and infrastructure projects.
Technical Brief
- Failure mechanism investigation focused on inadequate bearing, missing fixings and absence of positive board restraint.
- Site-specific risk assessment for drilling loads and access traffic was either absent or not implemented.
- No documented inspection or handover certificate for the platform existed under the temporary works procedure.
- Monitoring regime was limited to informal visual checks; no scheduled inspections after load changes or weather events.
- Remedial expectations include engineered platforms with designed load paths, edge protection and defined inspection intervals.
- Case underlines that even small construction sites require CDM-compliant temporary works coordination and competence controls.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
