Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314768573 - Arcelormittal Laplace, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

On February 1, 2011, Employee #1, a 32-year-old male with Arcelormittal Laplace LLc., was working in the steelmaking shop as a furnace second helper. The second helper's job was to add alloys, perfomix, and carbon to ladles, after tapping (adding of molten steel to the ladle by the first operator). The ladle would then move to the tapping booth, where the second helper would take the temperature of the molten steel in the ladle. Once it was decided that the ladle needed to be sent to the next station, the second helper turned off the argon stir and purged the argon line. This was done on the platform above the actual argon stir hose connection. Argon was supplied to the ladle on the north side bottom and was used to stir the molten steel with the alloys. Then, the second helper would proceed down the stairs to the ladle car platform to remove the argon stir hose from the ladle. Employee #1 finished taking the temperature, but the Ladle Metallurgy Furnace (LMF) was not ready for the ladle. While waiting to send the ladle to the next station, Employee #1 was asked to bring an oxygen lance hose to a coworker, the other furnace second helper on the shift. The coworker was on top of the sump which was on top of the furnace. After taking the lance hose to the coworker, Employee #1 was told to send the ladle to the next station. Employee #1 headed down the stairs to unhook the argon stir hose. Before Employee #1 could remove the argon hose, an eruption inside the ladle took place, sending molten steel down onto him. The stairway alongside the ladle and the ladle platform had no protection from molten steel spraying or splashing on an employee removing the argon hose. The eruption sprayed molten metal all over the area, sending approximately four-tons on top of Employee #1. Employee #1 was knocked off the ladle car platform, into an area between the ladle and the ladle car. He crawled from under the ladle car. That was when the teeming crane operator saw him and radioed for help. The crane operator radioed "man on fire come quickly". Employees responded to the radio call. One employee took off his jacket and put out the fire that was on Employee #1. Another coworker brought a fire blanket and wrapped it around Employee #1. The supervisor on shift immediately called the onsite EMT. Several employees notified the front gate security guard, who then called Emergence Medical Services. Employee #1 was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. Later that night, after he was stabilized, Employee #1 was transported by air medic helicopter to Baton Rouge General Mid-City Burn Unit. Employee #1 died on February 3, 2011 as a result of receiving third degree burns from the incident.

Keywords: BURN, MOLTEN METAL