The 37-tonne piling rig, a Junttan PM16 owned and operated by specialist contractor Van Elle, was driving steel piles for a David Wilson Homes house-building site in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.
The ‘small and mighty’ PM 16 is the most compact Junttan piling rig and is designed for driving piles up to 16 metres long. According to the brochure: “The expandable tracks and low centre of gravity make the rig exceptionally stable in different working situations.”
A spokesperson for Barratt Developments, parent company of David Wilson Homes, said: “I can confirm that there was an incident at our Bishopton development involving our piling contractor. Everyone is safe and well. No one was injured. The HSE has been informed and we are working in partnership with them to conduct a thorough investigation. Work on the site has been suspended.”
Van Elle chief executive Mark Cutler told us: “It’s too early to make any comment – investigations are ongoing.”
However, a Van Elle spokesperson later told Scottish Construction Now: “On 2nd December, one of our rigs working on a site near Glasgow overturned during steel tubular pile unloading operations. Fortunately, no one was injured as a result and the rig has been taken off site for an inspection.
“Van Elle has launched an immediate inquiry into the cause of the incident and we will not be commenting further until we have concluded our investigation.”
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