The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has notified the company that prosecution will follow for health and safety offences
The Balfour Beatty nuclear worker death occurred due to a piling exercise on 6 July 2023, on the AWE Aldermaston site, West Berkshire.
A serious incident occurred, the details of which are not yet available, that resulted in fatal injuries to the worker.
The worker died in hospital
After being airlifted to the nearest hospital, the 57-year-old died as a result of the injuries.
Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston is a site that designs, manufactures, and maintains nuclear weapons for the UK. Balfour Beatty was present at the site constructing a new building for calibrations, as well as other buildings and infrastructure, such as labs, offices, workshops, and storage.
An ONR investigation has found that there is no radiological risk due to the incident, and that it was purely a conventional health and safety matter. As such, Balfour Beatty will be prosecuted for health and safety offences.
A Balfour Beatty spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the findings of the Office for Nuclear Regulation investigation, published today, and it is with great sadness that we look back on the tragic events of July 2023.
“Our heartfelt thoughts remain with our colleague’s family, friends and co-workers.
“The health and safety of our workforce will always be our primary concern. As legal proceedings have now commenced, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
The ONR is also following up on nuclear worker deaths at Hinkley Point C
In July, the ONR notified NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd, Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS, and Laing O’Rourke Delivery Limited about prosecution following the death of Jason Waring, 48, who died from construction-related injuries while working as a site supervisor in November 2022.
At the time of the incident, delivery director Nigel Cann, said: “We are very sad to confirm that one of our team was involved in a fatal construction traffic incident this morning during planned work activities.
“The incident is being investigated by the police and the Health and Safety Executive, and we will co-operate fully with the authorities.
“Work at the site has been stood down and we are offering support to colleagues affected by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time.”
Lesley McLeod, CEO of the Association for Project Safety, also said: “All loss of life in construction is a tragedy and the thoughts of members of the Association for Project Safety (APS) go out to everyone touched by the recent fatality at Hinkley Point C. Advances in risk management have made our built environment safer but we cannot become complacent.
“This accident reminds everyone that dangers are not always obvious and everyone involved needs to build the skills and knowledge to help them work safely.”
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