OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14339360
FLORIDA STEEL CORP
CHARLOTTE, NC—
Event description
BURNED BY MOLTEN STEEL ERUPTING FROM LADLE
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 CONNECTED A NITROGEN LINE TO A DIDIER TAYLOR POROUS PLUG ON THE BOTT THE PLUG AND BUBBLED THROUGH THE MOLTEN STEEL. 300 TO 500 POUNDS OF MOLTEN STEE L WAS SPILLED ON THE FLOOR. EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE BURNED BY THE SPILLED MOLTE N STEEL. OM OF A EWING LADLE #8. THE LADLE CONTAINED APPROXIMATELY 40 TONS OF MOLTEN STEE L AT APPROXIMATELY 3,000 DEGREES FARENHEIT. THE LADLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEIN G MOVED OVER A PIT TO BE STIRRED BY NITROGEN. BEFORE THE LADLE COULD BE MOVED IT HAD TO BE SUSPENDED FROM AN OVERHEAD CRANE. EMPLOYEE #1 WALKED AROUND THE 7 FOO T DIAMETER LADLE TO CONFER WITH EMPLOYEE #2. THE NITROGEN, IT'S FLOW BEING CONTR OLLED BY A UNION CARBIDE REGULATOR, LEAKED PAST A CON BRIO "APOLO" HALF INCH BRA SS CLOSED BALL VALVE. PRESSURE BUILT UP AGAINST SOME CRUST ON THE PLUG. THE PRES SURE WAS INCREASED BY HIGH TEMPERATURES. THE NITROGEN BROKE THROUGH THE CRUST ON
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 715
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 45 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 11
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 715
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.