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Thursday, October 30, 2025

Update on HSE investigation after Reading demolition incident

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A section of scaffolding collapsed on a demolition site in Reading injuring three people in August 2019.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is still investigating the incident that happened on August 1 last year but has revealed that part of the old shopping centre being demolished failed. This, in turn, caused the section of scaffolding on the outside of the building to collapse.

Many within the online scaffolding community came to the same conclusions shortly after the incident back in 2019 that injured three people. At the time of the incident Unite the UK’s construction union called for an urgent investigation into the collapse.

According to the HSE, it was unlikely there would be any further answers revealing more on what happened at the site, for some time.

They said: “HSE continues to investigate this incident with a view to determining the causes. As there were a large number of parties involved in the planning and the carrying out of the project, it is likely to be some months before conclusions can be drawn.

“We cannot comment further at this time.”

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