Following the incident which took place on July 30, 2026, at Taff’s Well Quarry, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is continuing its investigation into the cause.
The incident followed a planned blast in a separate development area of the quarry to the quarry production operations. The incident blast was the second blast in the roof of the old Garth Iron Mine. These blasts were planned development blasts designed to collapse the roof of the old mine to open up new areas of mineral reserve for extraction by quarrying.
This development work had been subject to geotechnical assessment and design, including for the blasts and for engineering mitigation measures installed in the mine. The planning for these development operations had been undertaken for over 9 years by the previous and current quarry operators.
The integrity of the walls of the old mine voids and the mine adit was not compromised during the development blasting activities.
Inspectors initially attended the site and are continuing their investigation. Our investigations continue to focus on the geotechnical assessments, geotechnical designs and the designs for the blast and installed mitigation measures. This is a complex technical investigation and will take many months.
A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said:
“We recognise the severe impact this incident had on the local community and the disruption caused to the lives of residents.
“The nature of our investigation is technical and complex, and we will continue to keep partners and the affected community informed of our progress.”
Further information:
- HSE does not approve individual blasting operations; quarry operators are responsible for ensuring their activities comply with the Quarries Regulations 1999.
- HSE is responsible for investigating potential breaches of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety.