Tata Steel has again been recognised by the World Steel Association for delivering demonstrable improvements in safety and health.
World Steel Association (worldsteel) members show their commitment to employee and contractor safety and well-being through their actions. The projects featured in this brochure highlight the best and most innovative ideas and technologies to better care for people in our industry.
Andrew Purvis, Director, Sustainable Manufacturing, said, “this year, worldsteel and the judging panel noticed a stronger focus on occupational health and well-being. Members are leading the shift to a blame-free, psychologically safe workplace, navigating challenges with vision and innovative approaches. I would like to congratulate and thank the successful companies and all the participants in this programme for their outstanding contribution and dedication to this cause.”
Tata Steel was highlighted in the area of process safety management:
Online purging assistance to eliminate risk of explosion in gas cleaning plant (GCP) area of blast furnace
In order to maintain the integrity of gas lines carrying hazardous co-product gases, regular inspection and maintenance are required. Purging is necessary to ensure the system is free of toxic and flammable gases.
In the conventional process, there is a risk of insufficient purging of the gas line due to manual tasks such as opening the nitrogen valve and taking gas measurements through vents. The operator’s skill, knowledge and experience can also affect the quality of the purging. The process is time-consuming, requiring volume replacement throughout the gas line. The line is monitored manually for zero ppm (parts per million) gas at different vent exhaust points. Continuous monitoring is required during purging. Also, this process leads to excess consumption of purge gas and prolonged purging downtime resulting in extended shutdowns.
Tata Steel’s new purging assistance model tracks real-time updates of the purging process. A set of remote-operated valves has been installed at strategic locations, and gas analysers have been installed at vents. A system of logic and interlocks was also developed, enabling the operator to monitor and purge the entire gas line from the control room.
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world, with members in every major steel-producing country. worldsteel represents steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. Members represent around 85% of global steel production.
About Tata Steel UK
- The Tata Steel Group has been named one of the most ethical companies in the world, and is among the top producing global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes.
- Tata Steel in the UK has the ambition to produce net-zero steel by 2045 at the latest, and to have reduced 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030.
- In October 2024, Tata Steel ceased ironmaking at its Port Talbot site and temporarily paused steelmaking pending the construction of a 3.2Mtpa Electric Arc Furnace, due to be commissioned late in 2027 / early 2028. For that period, the business will import slab and hot rolled coil to support manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland as well as Norway, Sweden, France, Germany and UAE. It also benefits from a network of sales offices around the world.
- Throughout 2024 Tata Steel UK has been undergoing a restructuring that will reduce the size of its workforce to around 5000 direct employees, supplying high-quality steel products to demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.
- Tata Steel Group is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world.
- The group recorded a consolidated turnover of around US$27.7 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2024.
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