Tata Steel has been fined £1.5m following the death of a contractor at its Port Talbot steelworks plant on 25 September 2019.
Forty-four-year-old Justin Day was working at the steel manufacturer’s site in South Wales when he was crushed to death by a piece of machinery.
On the day of the accident, a hydraulic leak was found on a large conveyor system following maintenance work to replace a lift cylinder.
The father-of-three was called to resolve the issue. Although power was isolated to part of the system, other sections remained live. As staff worked on the lower level to fix the leak, Day returned to the floor above and climbed into the conveyor system.
His presence triggered sensors that activated a moving beam in a live section. He was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene.
Day’s family had been waiting for him at a rugby field to watch his youngest son play in a school match when they received a phone call telling them he had been involved in an accident. An hour later, they learnt he had been killed.
Devastating impact
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Tata Steel failed to ensure the work to replace the lift cylinder was done safely and also failed to ensure the conveyor system was fully isolated and guarded.
The HSE brought a prosecution against the company for what an inspector described as “basic” health and safety failures.
Tata Steel (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1.5m and ordered to pay £26,318.67 in costs at Swansea Crown Court on 31 July 2025.
HSE inspector Gethyn Jones said: “Justin Day’s death could so easily have been prevented. A much-loved family man is not here because of failures in health and safety basics.
“This has been a long and thorough investigation, and we believe this is the right outcome. It is clear that Justin’s death has had a devastating impact on his family, his friends and the wider community. Our thoughts remain with them.”
Day’s wife, Zoe Day, said rugby was her husband’s passion, and that when his sons played, he was their “biggest fan”. She “never imagined” to be given the news of the incident while waiting for him to arrive pitch side.
“Since losing Justin, I am not the same person I was,” she said. “I have struggled since that day – mentally, I am lost and don’t know where I’m going with life. It’s shattered my whole world.
“We were together for 23 years and did everything together. I can’t put into words how much this has affected me. I am a shadow of my former self and from the day of the incident, my world fell apart.”
