Abstract: Employees #1 through #5 were in the area of a furnace pit when a ladle of hot molten metal was taken from the furnace to a pouring area. Because the bottom drain of the ladle would not open, the ladle had to be taken back to the furnace so that the molten metal could be dumped back into the furnace. An overhead crane sat the ladle down on a slight incline on the ground so that the hoist could be hooked up to the ladle. When the ladle was picked up, molten metal splashed out and ran down into the furnace pit, which was damp and exploded. When the crane operator tried to get out of the way he inadvertently struck the crane controls, causing the ladle to tilt. Molten metal ran down into the pit and a second explosion occurred, burning Employees #1 through #5. All five were hospitalized.