A 57-year-old Balfour Beatty worker has died following a “serious incident” at a site at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) campus in Aldermaston, near Reading.
The individual was taken to hospital on Thursday evening (July 6) following the crash, which is believed to have happened during the pile-up, but later died. Thames Valley Police said the death was being treated as “unexplained” and was investigating the incident alongside the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
Balfour Beatty is working on a new building at AWE Aldermaston, which will include laboratories, offices, storage, workshops and training space, as well as a separate ‘calibration building’ and other infrastructure and ancillary buildings.
A spokesman for Balfour Beatty confirmed there was a “serious incident” at the site on July 6 and “as a result of the incident a colleague has tragically lost his life”, adding: “Our deepest sympathies Condolences are with our colleague’s family, friends and co-workers at this time.
They added: “Work has since stopped as we support the authorities with their investigation. As they are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
An FEAR The spokesman said: “On the night of July 6, there was an incident in a construction zone within the FEAR Aldermaston site involving Balfour Beatty employees, one of whom was airlifted to hospital.
“It has now been confirmed that this person has tragically passed away. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, loved ones and colleagues.
“The event did not involve any of our nuclear facilities or any nuclear material. There is no risk to the public.
“We are supporting our employees affected by the events and have set up an incident team which will work with Balfour Beatty, the Office for Nuclear Regulation and Thames Valley Police to support the investigation which will now take place.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank the emergency services for their response and attention. As this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: “Officers were called to AWE Aldermaston on Thursday evening (6/7) following reports of an industrial incident.
“A 57-year-old man was taken to hospital, where he sadly died. His relatives have been informed and offered support. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
“The death is currently being treated as unexplained and is currently being investigated alongside the Office of Nuclear Regulation to understand the circumstances, in line with the national protocol for work-related deaths.”
A spokesman for the Office for Nuclear Regulation said: “We were made aware of a serious construction incident at the Atomic Weapons Establishment’s Aldermaston site on July 6, which resulted in the death of a worker of construction
“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased at this tragic time.
“We have staff on site and are working alongside other relevant authorities, including Thames Valley Police, who have the initial lead and are currently leading on-site investigations.
“As this is a live investigation, we will not comment further so as not to prejudice these inquiries. The incident did not involve any nuclear material and there are no radiological consequences for the public.”
AWE is a research organization that investigates the design, manufacture and support of nuclear warheads. It was previously owned by a consortium including Serco and Jacobs, but has been owned by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) since 2021.
South Central Ambulance Service has been contacted for comment.
