Abstract: On October 21, 2004, Employee #1, a machine operator, suffered first- and second-degree burns to his neck, chest and arms when he was scalded by steam and hot soy milk escaping from a stainless steel pasteurizing system. Employee #1 was pasteurizing soy milk in a large pressure cooker. The pressure cooker consisted of a 2-ft-6 in. hinged lid attached to a 3-ft-6 in. kettle. Employee #1 was heating the soy milk and had begun to transfer the liquid to the bottling area. At this point, the milk did not flow into the bottling area and Employee #1 by-passed one of the safety devices and attempted to open the kettle. The redundant pneumatic safety device prevented the lid from opening, but did allow steam and liquid to escape from a crack between the lid and the kettle seal, when the employee attempted to lift the lid. The employee was hospitalized for five days for treatment.