Abstract: On July 30, 1995, Employee #1 was working on top of an electric arc furnace repairing a water cooled electrical contact on an arc electrode. According to the furnace operator, a water leak was causing material that was being fed into the furnace to plug, and water to enter the furnace. At 8:51 a.m., the furnace was shut down for repair. While Employee #1 was at the work site, a coworker went into the control room and lowered the electrode. At this time, an explosion occurred in the furnace, causing 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns to Employee #1. The ambulance service received the 911 call at 10:20 a.m. Employee #1 was hospitalized. Company officials think the lowering of the electrode forced water into molten steel and silica material, resulting in the explosion.