Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Tennessee Aluminum Processors, Inc. , 205 Spurline Drive, GADSDEN, ALABAMA 35903
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the multiple lower extremities locations, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was walking through a furnace pit when the furnace trough kicked back. The employee then stepped back into a mold full of molten metal, suffering second degree burns to the right ankle and calf and to the left foot.
HospitalizedMultiple lower extremities locations, n.e.c.Molten or hot metals, slag
More severe injuries at Tennessee Aluminum Processors, Inc.
An employee was trying to remove aluminum that was stuck to an iron pin from previous work by dipping the pin in molten aluminum that was already in the mold. The pin dropped into the molten aluminum; while the employee was retrieving it using a shovel, the aluminum burned the employee's foot. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 331314)
On July 29, 2025, an employee working near a metal furnace. Toward the end of his shift, he was charging a furnace and began to experienced heat exhaustion. He had also been in areas of elevated temperatures due to heat sources such as direct sunlight and a combustion engine. The employee was hospitalized with dehydration.
An employee was using a pry bar to remove a piece of aluminum cone from a mold on the cone line. The cone broke loose and the employee's left middle finger was caught between the pry bar and the cone line frame. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was machining a trunnion using a grinding rig when their left hand was caught between the grinding stone and the trunnion, resulting in fractures to the middle, ring, and little fingers, as well as severe damage to the skin and amputations of the middle and ring fingers to the distal knuckle.
On August 7, 2024, a maintenance technician was descending a fixed cage ladder when the ladder broke and they fell approximately 12 feet to the concrete ground. The employee sustained head injuries and fractured ribs.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.