Issued to: All Network Rail line managers, safety professionals and accredited contractors
Ref: NRL25-03
Date of issue: 23/07/2025
Location: London Liverpool Street Station
Contact: Sharon Fink, Principal Safety Manager, Eastern Routes Capital Programmes
Overview
London Liverpool Street Station is currently undergoing roof refurbishment works, replacing the life-expired Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) above platforms 1-10 as well as spot replacement of Georgian Wire Glass above the concourse area.
During the installation of a tube and fitting hanger for a suspended scaffold, a supplementary check coupler fell approximately 15 metres onto one of the station platforms.
The coupler landed within an exclusion zone that had been established on the station platform, resulting in no injuries or damage.
The investigation concluded that the coupler had not been correctly tightened and vibrated loose when the scaffolder was working on an adjacent fitting.
Underlying causes
• The check coupler fell because it was not correctly tightened. The orientation of the check coupler prevented the scaffolder having visibility of the bolt head whilst tightening the fixing. This led to the bolt being insecure, and vibrations from ongoing work caused the coupler to loosen and fall.
• The scaffold supervisor was working from a Task Briefing Sheet however the chain of documentation did not suitably pass risk controls from the Work Package Plan, therefore those undertaking the works were not adequately aware of the risk controls.
• The coupler was not contained at a high level because the encapsulation netting, which should have been installed, was not in place.
• The scaffold manager, who was aware of the planned methodology and specific controls, was not on site. The information had not been passed to the scaffold supervisor in charge of the night works. Consequently, the supervisor was unaware of the netting requirement. The scaffold design is complex, and netting can only be installed at certain points to address specific risks.