"One of the injured people sustained burns to his entire body..."

The rule of nines is an anatomical and graphical tool that divides the total body surface area (TBSA) into segments that are multiples of 9%. This tool is used to determine the amount of body burned in percent. It is our experience that workers with over 55% of their body burned eventually succumb to their injuries. 

The Aluminium Association’s Molten Metal Incident Reporting program has three classifications of molten metal explosions (Force 1, Force 2, and Force 3). Some in our industry call Force 1 explosions “pops”. We find that term to be inappropriate to use. Why? Because in our industry there are countless workers who have scars from molten metal that burned their skin. There have been incidents where Force 1 explosions where workers succumbed to their burns. We feel the term “pop” has a humorous, or comical tone to it. There is nothing humorous or comical about molten metal burns. In addition the term “pop” seems to lessen the importance of them. Every explosion no matter the size should be investigated for the root cause. Here is a recent story about a molten metal explosion.

At least two people were injured by a steam explosion at an aluminum processing plant in Japan one day during the week of January 21, 2016, police said.

One of the injured people sustained burns to his entire body in the accident that occurred around 1 p.m., according to the police.

The steam is believed to have blasted out during the process of aluminum casting at the plant, the police said, adding they are investigating details.

No fire has been reported after the accident.

This aluminium company's plant produces aluminum sheet products.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog prays for both injured workers. We pray that they recover fully from their physical injuries and any metal injuries they may suffered in this explosion. We acknowledge that molten metal burns may leave physical scars. Overtime those physical scar may fade, but the mental scars do not. We hope that the aluminium company will offer counseling to the workers.

Regarding the Aluminium Association’s Molten Metal Incident Reporting Program:

The Aluminum Association’s 2015 Molten Metal Incident Report covering calendar year 2014 incidents is now available for download via the following link - http://www.aluminum.org/2015-molten-metal-incident-report.  Significant consulting support for its development was provided by Ray Richter of Aluminum Cast Shop Consultants, LLC. This report, while not a statistical representation of the industry due to its reliance on voluntary self-reporting, once again highlights the predominant hazards that result in explosions during molten aluminum management.

The Molten Metal Incident Reporting Program is worldwide and incorporates roughly 300 aluminum plants in 20 countries. This reporting program started in 1980 and the 2015 report indicates that 107 incidents were reported, one fatality was reported, and the number of reported Force 2 and Force 3 incidents continues its downward trend. Overall, incident severity and frequency trends continue to decline and this portends well for the future as well.

For the 2015 report, the format continues to include presentation of the information in a more visual format including extensive use of charts and graphs as compared to the prior tabular format and the report itself is now being distributed primarily in electronic format.

The Association continues to use the Molten Metal Incident Report as a primary means of steering its efforts to address safety for the Aluminum industry and would like to thank all the companies who take part in the program and for their continued participation in the future.

A copy of the reporting form for your use as needed is included at the back of the Molten Metal Incident Report, and is also available as a stand alone document via the linked website above.

The Molten Metal Incident Reporting Program has been a great tool and has saved countless lives by quantifying some incidents. This particular incident and many others that the APSB post may not be included in the MMIRP. Why, because the APSB editors do not report incidents to this program. Why? Well our concern (shared by AA) is that our knowledge would skew the data that is gathered.

If your plant handles molten metal, you should contact the Aluminium Association about becoming a participant.