The Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture in charge of the work launched a full shutdown and safety review following the near miss on September 29.

Two workers in a cherry picker basket narrowly escaped being struck by a steel beam while a gantry crane was being dismantled at the Green Park Way ventilation shaft in west London.

The Enquirer understands that during the de-rigging of a gantry crane the beam clamps on the main beam which was being lifted, slid along the beam.

This caused the beam to rotate which in turned violently impacted the MEWP which had two operatives in the basket.

The MEWP was seriously damaged and the clipped-on operatives were lucky not to be seriously injured.

Work has now restarted on parts of the 14-mile stretch of twin-bore tunnels between Euston and Hillingdon after additional safety measures were put in place.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: “Safety will always be our top priority which is why all works were halted on the London tunnels section of HS2 following a serious near-miss incident.

“We have now begun a safe, structured restart across some of these worksites following a comprehensive review of safety procedures and leadership.

“Additional measures are being implemented by our contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture, to ensure the safety of the workforce and we continue to closely monitor performance.”