tunnelling-journal (1)
tunnelling-journal (1)
  • Home
  • Print
    • Subscribe
    • Tunnelling Journal
    • Breakthrough
    • ITA Activity Report
    • A&NZ Journal
    • WTC Preview
    • Media Kit
  • Digital
    • Newsletter
    • E-Shots
    • TJ Digital edition
    • Products Page
    • Media Kit
  • Conferences
    • BTS Conference and Exhibition
    • Cutting Edge 2022
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Events Diary
  • Jobs
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Podcast

Home > Fatal tragedy at Lake Mead

Fatal tragedy at Lake Mead

Amanda Foley

Written by Amanda Foley on 12/06/2012 in News

Tagged: underground

On Monday, June 11th, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and its contractor, Vegas Tunnel Constructors (VTC), reported that at approximately 4:30pm, a fatal accident occurred at the Lake Mead Intake No. 3 Tunnel, killing one worker and injuring another.

The accident occurred 600ft (182m) below ground, while three tunnel laborers were working in the 23.4ft (7.22m) Herrenknecht Mixshield TBM erecting concrete segments, which make up the 20ft (6m) diameter, five segment + key, Universal bolted and gasketed tunnel liner ring. According to a statement released by SNWA, one of the tunnel segments was jarred loose during this process and pressurized grout was discharged, striking two of the workers.

“We have confirmed that one of the workers was fatally struck; the other suffered minor injuries,” said the statement. “This is a difficult time for our organization, the contractor and the crew. At no time were any workers trapped in the tunnel or exposed to toxic gasses. All other workers have been accounted for and are safe above ground. Furthermore, there was no flooding of the tunnel. Construction activities will not resume until the safety of the tunnel has been verified. Our minds, hearts and prayers are with the family of the deceased worker and the family of the injured worker.”

This afternoon, Tuesday, June 12th, a further SNWA statement was released, which said a special team from Vegas Tunnel Constructors – the Tunnel Rescue Team – had today descended into the tunnel and examined the site of the accident.

The VTC team determined the tunnel was safe for entry. After an initial underground investigation, OSHA concurred that VTC could proceed with activities to secure and clean the work area so the joint investigation can move forward.

“VTC is currently cleaning the space and preparing to seal the approximate four-inch by two-foot gap where the tunnel ring segment slipped forward allowing pressurized grout to force through. The concrete segment did not fall into the tunnel. The amount of material that forced through the opening was about one-half of a cubic yard with some 2-inch to 4-inch size rock mixed with grout and mud. No further material has come into the tunnel. One hundred thirty-three (133) of these concrete rings have been successfully put in place by TBM and crews, with a total of nearly 2,500 expected to complete the tunnel. All of the installed segments are stable.”

VTC is investigating how the one segment slipped forward and how to prevent such slippage from happening in the future. Tunneling activities will not resume until that determination is complete.

Comments:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Szu-chiang Lu says:
    13/06/2012 at 6:07 pm

    Why the key segment piece that got put in last was not bolted before the segment erector was remvoed.

    Reply

Search

Digital Edition

More Like This

11/01/2023

World’s Largest Combi-Rectangular Pipe Jacking Machine Ready

World’s Largest Combi-Rectangular Pipe Jacking Machine Ready

On January 6, 2023, the world’s largest combined rectangular pipe jacking machine “CREC 1179”, developed and manufactured by China Railway…

10/08/2022

Silvertown TBM prepares for late summer launch

Silvertown TBM prepares for late summer launch

The cutterhead for the TBM that will bore London’s 1.4km long twin-lane Silvertown Tunnel has been lowered into the start…

27/11/2022

Broadway Subway Project set for second TBM launch

Broadway Subway Project set for second TBM launch

Work on the $1.728bn Broadway Subway project has reached another milestone with the Broadway Subway Project Corporation, an Acciona-Ghella joint venture,…

  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Magazine Archive

Newsletter

The latest from the Tunneling Journal direct to your inbox.

Social



Enquiries

TGS Media Ltd
The Old Library
Webster House
Dudley Road
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 1LE
United Kingdom

© Tunnelling Journal. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Admin

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more