Tata charged with safety breaches at Port Talbot works

Tata Steel and a contractor are to go on trial after a worker was seriously hurt in a fall at its Port Talbot steelworks four years ago.

The company is charged with breaching health and safety regulations during the refurbishment of coke ovens.

Specialist scaffolding company Rowecord Total Access is charged with contravening working at height regulations.

Neither company was in court and no pleas were entered.

Stephen Kift was injured during the work at the Morfa coke ovens on the Port Talbot site.

The full charge against Tata Steel Tata Steel is that it contravened requirements of the construction (design and management) regulations 2007 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

It is accused of failing to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase of refurbishment work at the coke ovens on 18 January 2014.

Swansea-based Rowecord Total Access is charged with contravening requirements of the working at height regulations 2005 contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The charge relates to the erection, use and dismantling of scaffolding.

The trial is listed for 12 November and is expected to last six weeks.