A bypass worker was seriously hurt yesterday after being crushed by a half-tonne pipe.
The contractor, based at the Milltimber stretch of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, was working underneath a concrete water pipe when it fell on him at about 10.50am.
Specialist paramedics raced to the scene, while firefighters worked to make it safe.
The man, in his 50s, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious injuries, including a tear to his liver, four cracked ribs and two dislocated toes.
It is understood he works for civil engineering firm WM Donald Ltd – which has been sub-contracted by Scottish Water to carry out the works.
A Scottish Water spokesman said: “A full investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched.
“Scottish Water takes Health and Safety very seriously and it is a top priority on all of our sites and we will work with our contractor and HSE to find out the cause of this accident.
“Our main concern at the moment is the wellbeing of the injured man.”
Transport Scotland insisted safety was a top priority, but the incident has renewed safety fears for the workers.
The Health and Safety Executive also confirmed it was investigating.
It is the latest in a string of accidents, with just last week a man being hurt by a crane hook. And in September, work had to be stopped for four days after a 29ft steel cage fell on the Goval Bridge section of the route near Dyce.
One whistle-blower last night claimed it was “only due to luck” that nobody has died during the project.
He said: “It’s only due to luck that nobody has died when working on the AWPR.
“There has been a multitude of near misses on this job.”
Unite’s regional officer, John Clark, said he did not believe enough was being done to protect workers.
“Our first thoughts are with the worker who has been injured and with his friends and family,” he said.
“No worker should be put in a position where they don’t return safely home from their shift.
“We need proper dialogue between the contractors and their workers and union reps, and when things go wrong we need openness and transparency so that we can put them right as soon as possible.
“Safety should be a top priority on every construction project – and especially on a flagship public project like this one.
“Our officers and workplace reps will continue to monitor working conditions on the project, and will be making sure that
workers’ voices are heard in any investigation.”
But Transport Scotland added: “Transport Scotland takes the safety of all those people working in and around major infrastructure projects such as the AWPR/B-T project very seriously.”
