Blast at Welsh steel plant
10 April 2012
A man was taken to hospital with superficial burns after an incident at Tata Steel in Port Talbot on March 27. Fire crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service were also called out in the early hours, with reports of a loud bang being heard.
Tata Steel confirmed an incident at a metals recovery area at the plant but said it was not "major". A spokesman said the man taken to hospital had been protected by a bullet proof shield and was wearing protective gear. He worked for contractors Harsco Metals,
A portable building housing workers’ belongings was destroyed in the incident. A Tata Steel spokesman said: “We are very relieved the man was well enough to be discharged.”
The Health and Safety Executive is now investigating what happened and Tata has launched its own internal investigation.
People throughout Port Talbot and four or five miles away across Swansea Bay in West Cross and Mumbles heard the blast. The Tata Steel spokesman said what happened was “not an explosion” but accepted it was an explosive release of gas and debris.
Tata employs around 3,500 people in Port Talbot.
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