UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

On May 6, 2005, Employee #1 was employed by Eagle Services Corporation as a laborer. He was cleaning hoppers at the Beta Steel Corporation electric arc furnace baghouse. This job required an air lance or vacuum hose to loosen and remove dust from the walls of the baghouse hoppers. The hoppers were permit-required confined spaces. Employee #1 began by using an air lance through the 20-in. by 30-in. hopper access door to knock dust loose from the hopper walls. When the dust fell to the bottom of the hopper, a screw conveyor was activated to carry the dust to the dust storage silo. On some hoppers, not all the inside surface of the hopper could be reached through the access door. In these cases, entry into the hopper was necessary. Employee #1 was inside the Number Twelve hopper, using the air lance to dislodge the dust. The dust broke loose from the wall of the hopper, and the avalanche of dust knocked Employee #1 over and buried him almost completely. He died from his injuries. Death was due to asphyxia.