Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1553637.015 - U.S. Pipe And Foundry

Inspection Information - Office: Birmingham Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:45 p.m. on September 10, 2021, an employee working as a molding and casting operator for an iron foundry was standing in the skimming booth. The employee was skimming the machine ladle after molten ductile iron had been poured from the north transfer ladle. At the same time, a coworker, the hot metal crane operator, was setting another ladle down on the south transfer ladle stand. The ladle lip is approximately 1-inch from the booth wall when it is in the south position. The stand is located directly adjacent to the ladle being poured at the backside of the skimming booth. The ladle being positioned struck the backside of the skimming booth which caused the molten iron to splash out of the ladle. The splashed hot metal went through an open 13-inch by 4-inch gap in the north end of the booth between the back wall and the roof. The hot metal struck the employee on his right-side melting holes in his clothing and boots and burning through his glove. The employee was hospitalized to treat 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his wrist, buttocks, ankle, and foot, requiring hospitalization.

Keywords: Ankle, Back, Burn, Buttocks, Casting, Clothing, Engineering Controls, Falling Object, Flying Object, Foot, Foundry, Glove, High Temperature, Iron, Lack of Engineering Controls, Ladle, Material Handling, Metal, Molding Machine, Molten Metal, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Protective Clothing, Safety Shoe, Skin, Struck By, Temperature, Work Surface, Wrist