THE Corus steelworks explosion of 2001 that killed three men and injured a dozen others was the result of failings in health and safety management over an extended period, experts have concluded.

A full report detailing the tragic events in Port Talbot seven years ago next month sets out a series of crucial lessons not just for the steel industry but for all manufacturing industries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Wales report pulls together all the information already in the public domain through hearings, including the court case and the inquests into the three deaths.

It states: "The lessons are there for the steel-making industry, both in the UK and worldwide, but they contain many fundamental truths for all manufacturing industries."

Corus workers Andrew Hutin and Stephen Galsworthy were killed immediately, while colleague Len Radford died later in hospital.

A further 12 employees and contractors sustained severe injuries. Many more suffered minor injuries and shock.

"The precursors to the explosion were a combination of significant failures in health and safety management extending over many years," says the report.

"These failures were not confined solely to the blast furnace plant; they extended elsewhere within the company."

HSE Director for Wales Terry Rose said: "The explosion at the No 5 blast furnace was a stark reminder that safety needs to be managed at a corporate level."

For full report see the Evening Post website.