"when loading aluminum scrap, an explosion occurred...."

The hazard of charging scrap into a furnace cannot be understated. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted dozens if not more explosions that resulted from scrap in our 9 year history. Here is a recent incident that emphasizes the need for following safety procedures when charging scrap into a furnace.

In a city in the Russian Federation, a criminal case was opened on the fact of injuring an employee of a metallurgical enterprise.

One night of during the week of December 8, 2019, when loading aluminum scrap, an explosion occurred in the furnace of the foundry. As a result, the 34-year-old smelter suffered. He received an eye injury, which experts qualified as serious harm to health.

His 46-year-old colleague, who was next to the furnace, got to the doctors with burns. Experts have to establish the severity of the damage. The investigators called the cause of the emergency violations of labor protection requirements when loading the melting furnace.

“Currently, investigative steps are being taken to establish all the circumstances of the incident and the persons responsible for observing labor protection requirements. The criminal investigation is ongoing, ”added the  senior assistant to the head of the regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

We pray that both workers recover fully from their injuries. Though we do not know the exact reason for the explosion. We can make assumptions that include but not limited to contamination (foreign substance) or moisture. Regardless, both workers and any nearby workers are lucky to be alive.

We will reach out to the authorities for more information and will post updates when we learn more.

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