"ladle exploded during aluminum casting...."

The importance of face and neck protection when working around molten metal is a constant point we make here at the Aluminium Plant Safety Blog. Over the past decade we have reported on countless incidents where a worker is improperly wearing their ppe. Here is a recent incident highlighting the importance of wearing ppe properly:

One evening during the 2^nd week of August 2021, around 11 pm, an explosion occurred and a fire occurred at an automobile parts factory in East Asia.

A worker in his 40s suffered second-degree burns to his face and neck from the fire and was taken to a nearby hospital, and 15 people were evacuated.

When the fire broke out, the first stage of response, which mobilized firefighting personnel and equipment, was issued, and a large fire was extinguished in 50 minutes.

The fire burned 35 square meters of 5,400 square meters of one factory building and liquid transfer ladle equipment, causing property damage estimated at $8,000 Euro by the fire department.

Police believe the fire started when the ladle exploded during aluminum casting and is investigating the exact cause of the fire.

We pray that the injured worker recovers fully from his injuries. Whenever injuries to the face and neck occur, we immediately wondered if the worker had a face shield and if their shirt was open. Workers need to be repeatedly reminded to button their shirt to the top.

The explosion had to be significant for it to crack/split the ladle/crucible in half. The property damage/estimate we feel is incorrect. We will update this story as more information is put forth.

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