"the leakage of liquid aluminum...10 injured"

 

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted numerous accidental molten metal releases. Though every incident is different there are some common traits. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard of unexpected molten metal releases:

The cause of the accident one morning during the week of July 25, 2021 was apparently the leakage of liquid aluminum. There was no danger of a major fire.

That morning, an industrial accident occurred at a local automotive supplier in which ten people were slightly injured. As reported by the local Police Inspectorate, liquid metal overflowed during the work process , which subsequently led to a minor fire and the corresponding development of smoke. A police spokesman for the state police headquarters had identified the metal as liquid aluminum that morning.

According to the police, at no time was there a greater risk of fire due to fire-fighting work that was immediately initiated internally. During the extinguishing work, however, ten company employees were slightly injured by smoke gas intoxication. All ten were taken to nearby hospitals.

Several ambulances were on site for the operation, but there were no major disruptions to traffic.

The police investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing. A corresponding investigation is being conducted at the local town criminal investigation service. In addition to the police officers deployed, the State Office for Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety was also on duty.

Another news media article stated “According to the police, liquid aluminum has leaked from a foundry furnace.”

We are ecstatic that the fire was extinguished with their internal fire brigade. But, we would be remiss if we did not comment that the fire broke out because the molten metal came into contact with combustible material stored nearby. We have seen this exact scenario occur countless times. When a department will store consumables near the furnace. Almost all consumables are contained in cardboard boxes. It is cardboard boxes that ignite easily when contacted by molten metal. No combustibles should be stored on the ground anywhere near molten metal (e.g., furnaces, troughs, casting machines, etc.

The other common attribute to molten metal spills is how the workers react. Have the workers been trained on how to handle molten metal? All too often we have found that workers are not specifically trained on this important topic. It is the topic of “molten metal spills” that the editors of the Aluminium Plant Safety Blog are asked to speak about to aluminium companies. It is a very important topic. Why? Because training and drilling for this potential incident can help minimize or negate any injuries and/or fires from breaking out.

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