Didcot power staion collapse - the timeline

Oxford Mail:

  • Tuesday, February 23 2016
  • 4pm: A huge bang echoes across Didcot and beyond as half of the boiler house collapses
  • 4.05pm: Emergency services arrive at the scene
  • 5.23pm: At least one worker is feared dead following the collapse of the 10-storey building
  • 6.55pm: Nathan Travis, deputy chief officer for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, says five construction workers are in hospital and three people are missing
  • 7.05pm: Oxfordshire County Council confirms one person has died
  • 8.43pm: 50 people have been treated for smoke inhalation following the building collapse
  • Wednesday, February 24 2016
  • 1.38pm: Fire service says it is now highly unlikely three missing people are alive, deployed 100 people overnight to find them
  • 2.50pm: Mick Collings, 53, from Teeside is named as the first victim of the collapse of the boiler house
  • Thursday, March 3 2016
  • The inquest into the death of Mick Collings, the first man to be found in the wreckage, is opened at Oxford Coroner’s Court
  • Saturday, May 14 2016
  • Coleman & Company hand over to Brown and Mason to continue the recovery operation at the site
  • Tuesday, May 24 2016
  • Recovery operation is paused as workers reach a 50m exclusion zone
  • Sunday, July 17 2016
  • 6am: The remaining half of the boiler house is brought down in a controlled demolition to allow the recovery operation to continue
  • Evening: Recovery operation resumes
  • Tuesday, August 23 2016
  • Family members of the three missing workers visit Didcot Power Station on the six month anniversary of the collapse.
  • Wednesday, August 31 2016
  • First body is recovered from Didcot Power Station
  • Saturday, September 4 2016
  • Police confirm the first body to be found is that of Chris Huxtable
  • Wednesday, September 7 2016
  • Second body is recovered from the site and on Thursday police confirm Ken Cresswell has been found
  • Friday, September 9 2016
  • Body of John Shaw is found
  • Thursday, September 15 2016
  • Inquests into the deaths of Chris Huxtable, John Shaw and Ken Cresswell are opened at Oxford Coroner’s Court
  • Wednesday, October 12 2016
  • Coleman and Company lose its demolition contract to continue working on the rest of Didcot Power Station
  • Thursday, February 23 2017
  • 2pm: Site owners RWE hold a memorial service with the families for the four men killed in the tragedy
  • 4pm: Didcot holds a minute’s silence to mark the year since half of the boiler house collapsed.

Collapse had 'lasting inpact' on industry

Oxford Mail:

Mark Anthony

THE tragic collapse at Didcot Power Station has had a lasting impact on the demolition industry.

Mark Anthony, director of Demolition News, pictured, said whenever he visits a site the boiler house collapse at Didcot is always remembered.

He said: “It is not long until Didcot is brought up, of course it has had a major impact on the industry.

“The demolition industry is small and tight knit, so these men who were killed were people’s friends and colleague.

“It is still too early to tell if things will now be done differently in the industry because we still do not know what caused the collapse. But it has no doubt had a lasting impact on the industry.”

Mr Anthony believes that it will be at least 2020 before the families of the four men killed in the incident will find out what happened on the day.

He added: “We are still a long way off and it is only right they should take so long to investigate because it is such a complex situation.

“But it is hoped we will know soon as there are sites, similar to Didcot, earmarked for demolition and I know workers are anxious to ensure if there were any mistakes made, they will not be repeated.”

The demolition firm, Coleman & Company, which was deconstructing Didcot Power Station when part of the boiler house collapsed killing four men has set aside £1.3m to cover the possible costs of the incident.

In accounts revealed this month, the company’s operating profits fell from £2.45m to £2.06m.

Coleman’s contract for the demolition was axed by site owners RWE in November following the tragedy and it is waiting to find out if it is considered to have any responsibility.