Abstract: On July 28, 1996, Employee #1 was using a stoking machine to stoke a submerged arc furnace. The stoking machine resembles a forklift with an approximately 20 ft long boom in the front that has a shovel-type tip for pushing. Employee #1 was in the stoker, pushing the hot mix in the furnace toward the electrodes when the furnace erupted. The eruption propelled hot mix from the furnace all around the floor and produced a flash fire wall around the electrode. The eruption caused a large explosion that shook the entire building. Employee #1's cotton clothing caught on fire and he went down a set of stairs to the employee bathroom. When he could not extinguish the flames, he went down another set of stairs to the ground floor. A coworker saw him and sprayed him with water from a hose. Employee #1 suffered diffuse cutaneous burns and was transported to Four Rivers Medical Center, where he later died. Employee #1 was apparently in the cab of the stoker when the eruption occurred since his hard hat was found on the cab floor. The stoker is enclosed with steel and has only one exit and a small opening for visibility. It was designed to help to protect the operator from the radiant heat, between 1,500 and 1,700 degrees F, produced by the furnace.