Page 117 - Neutrons for Sciences and Society

Chapter 5: The construction of the reactor and the scientific groups
Fig. 5.4: Visit to the construction site in 1971 with Néel in the foreground, on his right Chatoux, and Droulers on the right edge of the picture.
5.2.1 The accident
On 13 February 1970 at 15:30 the roof of the reactor building under construction collapsed bringing down with it seven assembly workers who were linking it together. The death toll was five people with two severely injured. To understand this accident you should know that the roof was made of concrete petals each weighing seven tonnes cast in a factory and then assembled on the site. For this a tubular scaffold had been erected starting from the level which is now the experimental floor. The slabs were placed on the top of the scaffold to be finally coated with a layer of concrete. This house of cards collapsed when about a quarter of the petals had been laid. The dead workers were
108