Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Signicast, LLC, 1501 S. Interstate 45, HUTCHINS, TEXAS 75141
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was putting metal in a pot to melt. The top of the metal started to solidify; the employee was using a rebar to poke a hole in the top to mix the metal when some of the metal splashed onto coils outside the pot. This caused steam to build up and pressurize the metal, which expanded and flew out of the pot. The employee fell while trying to escape the splash, landing on metal that had hit the floor. The employee suffered second-degree burns to the hands, left knee, and stomach.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Molten or hot metals, slag
An employee was using a grinding machine with a foot pedal. She was loading a part into the grinder when her right hand got caught in the grinder. She then used her left hand to pull out her right hand. The employee suffered a laceration to the back of two fingers on her left hand and her left forearm, as well as partial amputations to two fingers on her right hand.
An employee was using a hoist to transfer a heat treat basket which was approximately 3 ft. by 4 ft. long from a staging rack to a conveyor. The basket was loaded with castings that go into the heat treat operation. The employee detached the hoist and noticed the basket wasn't sitting flat on the cart. As she manipulated the basket her right middle finger was pinched between the basket and the conveyor resulting in a partial amputation of the fingertip with loss of fingernail and subsequent revision of the tip of the finger. Stitches were used to close the wound. No surgery was required.
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 331523)
An employee was adjusting the oscillator pressure injector on a die-cast machine when his right thumb contacted the adjustment handle. The machine oscillated and closed on his right thumb. The tip of the thumb was pinched and amputated between the die and the handle.
An employee in the melt department was getting ready to put a recirculation pump into the pump housing area. He first put the pump in a cabinet to warm it up to avoid thermal shock. It shifted and the cold refractory contacted the hot metal. Molten metal contacted the employee, resulting in third-degree burns between their knee(s) and ankle(s). The employee was wearing some personal protective equipment (PPE) at the time but this was breached by the molten metal.
On May 15, 2025, an employee was assisting with troubleshooting an issue with a die in a die casting machine. While unjamming the machine, the employee's finger was caught between a section of the die and a wooden spacer. The employee's left middle fingertip was amputated.
An employee was checking the die casting machine when the cavity access door closed behind him and the employee sustained eight fractured ribs. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was using a vertical band saw to cut a piece of square metal tubing when their left hand contacted the saw blade and their middle finger was amputated.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.