Abstract: Employee #1 was withdrawing molten material from an aluminum smelting pot to seal a leaking spout. The molten material was tapped by placing the spout of the tapping ladle into the pot. The tapping ladle was a steel shell lined with refractory material. Air pressure was then used to create a vacuum, and the material in the pot was drawn into the ladle. The material was ejected by reversing the air flow. Employee #1 attempted to eject the material back into the pot once he had withdrawn the material into the tapping ladle, but the molten material sprayed out of the ladle, striking him in the back and igniting his clothing. Employee #1 suffered serious burns for which he was hospitalized. He was expected to recover but with some disability. The pot was a start-up pot that was operating at a higher temperature than a normal pot. There was a gasket between the ladle top and bottom. The ladle was found bowed and distorted from the heat, with a 0.18-in. gap between the top and bottom.