Nasty way to meet your maker...

[Maggot]

Fell into a pit of molten iron. I expect you''d be in shock and unconscious in a second or two but for that instant....

Caterpillar worker's grisly foundry death blamed on training ...​

https://www.theguardian.com › us-news › nov › caterpilla...






About featured snippets•

Feedback

 

[Maser]

 

[Short-bus]

I genuinely wonder, bodies are mostly water, wouldn't the introduction of water into a furnace that's 2600 degrees or so cause a nice little steam explosion? Then again, I doubt he really went much below the surface because molten steel or iron is far denser than the water that we're worried about here.

I sure hope that the extreme heat fried his nerves before he could feel what was happening, that's a really awful way to go though.

Branden

 

[eflyguy]

Anyone who's fried a turkey would have observed a small taste of what would happen, and that's at a few thousand degrees lower.

 

[Im2bent]

Read a story a few years ago about some kid working with a road repair crew getting buried under hot asphalt. Not sure which would be worse.

 

[EddieNFL]

Read a story a few years ago about some kid working with a road repair crew getting buried under hot asphalt. Not sure which would be worse.

Asphalt would probably be much slower than molten metal.

 

[HeavyAssault]

After all the things we have seen/read about happening to people/human body, let's be real for a second. Dude knew what was happening till the lights went out in the most painful way a person could die. I think we are being generous to say there could be a possibility of it being an "instantaneous" death/unconsciousness.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

This is how stuff like “Christine” happens….

Next thing we know, there will be a possessed 2023 Ford EV Mustang named “Chad” killing people left and right.

Sirhr

 

[Fig]

You're right, it must have happened in the steel mill, because Christine was already killing workers on the assembly line.

That Is going to be one unstoppable killdozer.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

At least they didn't have to sort out the remains from the wood chips.

 

[SniperBro]

No video?

 

[Slash0311]

This would be bad enough...

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Probably a gay steel mill…



Sirhr

 

[NateSavannah]

This would be bad enough...

Nope. no. nu uh. not even a little bit. fuck. that. ya. no.

 

[candyx]

Asphalt would probably be much slower than molten metal.

Asphalt is only 300 degrees, usually the rakers wrap their pork chop sandwich in tin foil and the first load in the morning they put the sandwich on the paver with a shovel of hot asphalt over it. Come noon the sandwich is just right .

 

[greg1147]

I worked in Clairton PA in the steel mills and coke plants. Watch the Deer Hunter that's where it was filmed.
We were working on the overhead bridge cranes installing encoders.
Every time the crane operator did a pic of molten steel we had to get in the because of the heat. We always had on the green fire retardant garb
After a shift I was changing out my black t-shirt was white from the salt and sweat. It was the hottest working conditions I ever
experienced. Couldn't drink enough water. Watching the ladles under the bridge crane was a little weird.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[buffalowinter]

 

[Maggot]

At least they didn't have to sort out the remains from the wood chips.

"Yes mam, we're sorry but your son Bobby was killed."

"But all I see is a pile of saw dust......"

 

[acudaowner]

not sure there is a plesant way to kick the bucket just some less painful looking than others but dead is dead

 

[The D]

This is how stuff like “Christine” happens….

Next thing we know, there will be a possessed 2023 Ford EV Mustang named “Chad” killing people left and right.

Sirhr

If I got turned into anything related to an electric vehicle I’d be fucking pissed. You’re damned right I’d start killing people

 

[pmclaine]

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

not sure there is a plesant way to kick the bucket just some less painful looking than others but dead is dead

Bleeding to death actually wouldn't be a bad way to go, relatively speaking.
Opiate overdose would likely be up there among most preferable.

 

[Maggot]

Bleeding to death actually wouldn't be a bad way to go, relatively speaking.
Opiate overdose would likely be up there among most preferable.

45 ACP in the ear canal, take out the Medulla, lights out. Not in the mouth because the recoil would bust out your teeth so you'd be ugly in the casket.

 

[Thorny]

Kit Carson married Singing Grass. She tended to his needs and went with him on his trapping trips. They had a daughter, Adaline (or Adeline). Singing Grass died after she had given birth to Carson's second daughter circa 1839. His second child did not live long. In 1843, in Taos, New Mexico, the young child fell into a boiling kettle of soap tallow and subsequently died.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Kit Carson married Singing Grass. She tended to his needs and went with him on his trapping trips. They had a daughter, Adaline (or Adeline). Singing Grass died after she had given birth to Carson's second daughter circa 1839. His second child did not live long. In 1843, in Taos, New Mexico, the young child fell into a boiling kettle of soap tallow and subsequently died.

Eric Clapton should have done a song...

Sirhr

Oh and... Too soon?

 

[TheHorta]

Just think… some worship a “loving” god who will do this to billions of people — except they never die and feel the unspeakable torment for all eternity.

But we have a hard time not sympathizing with a stranger who experienced unspeakable suffering for just a few seconds.

 

[Redmanss]

If I'm working within 6ft of a 6ft drop without any guardrails in place, I have to have my company provided fall restraint gear on, and that is just working over regular ground let alone a 2600°F pit of molten iron like this guy was. If I neglect to wear it and I'm caught/called out on it, I'm pulled out of service, piss tested and cannot report back to work until the investigation board is completed (if I even still have a job). That's an absolute, as bad as working on the tracks without protection to keep me from getting hit by a train or working under a stick of rail being moved by crane, and all as stupid as it gets in my railroading industry.

It's pretty shameful Caterpillar has no (or very limited) prevention protocols in place to keep someone falling into something like that, as well as shameful the UAW didn't do their main fucking job of ensuring worker safety is in place. Having to lean over a molten iron pit with no guardrail and no fall gear on to take a sample? Get the fuck out of here, a five year old knows that's stupid and they believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

Industrial safety is no joke, especially when the lone consequence of an accident is death. Those working blue collar jobs, think about this in your own daily work activities and hopefully you can effect change where needed.

 

[Lawless]

Just think… some worship a “loving” god who will do this to billions of people — except they never die and feel the unspeakable torment for all eternity.

But we have a hard time not sympathizing with a stranger who experienced unspeakable suffering for just a few seconds.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Just think… some worship a “loving” god who will do this to billions of people — except they never die and feel the unspeakable torment for all eternity.

But we have a hard time not sympathizing with a stranger who experienced unspeakable suffering for just a few seconds.

Free Will...

Sirhr

 

[EddieNFL]

If I'm working within 6ft of a 6ft drop without any guardrails in place, I have to have my company provided fall restraint gear on, and that is just working over regular ground let alone a 2600°F pit of molten iron like this guy was. If I neglect to wear it and I'm caught/called out on it, I'm pulled out of service, piss tested and cannot report back to work until the investigation board is completed (if I even still have a job). That's an absolute, as bad as working on the tracks without protection to keep me from getting hit by a train or working under a stick of rail being moved by crane, and all as stupid as it gets in my railroading industry.

It's pretty shameful Caterpillar has no (or very limited) prevention protocols in place to keep someone falling into something like that, as well as shameful the UAW didn't do their main fucking job of ensuring worker safety is in place. Having to lean over a molten iron pit with no guardrail and no fall gear on to take a sample? Get the fuck out of here, a five year old knows that's stupid and they believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

Industrial safety is no joke, especially when the lone consequence of an accident is death. Those working blue collar jobs, think about this in your own daily work activities and hopefully you can effect change where needed.

You'd think the 2600°F would be a pretty good barrier.

 

[Kein Mitleid]

Not anywhere near enough info on the details of this story.

 

[pmclaine]

Not anywhere near enough info on the details of this story.

Thinking this guy is kind of quiet now……

 

[EddieNFL]

View attachment 8008400

Thinking this guy is kind of quiet now……

You haven't seen Christmas Story Christmas. If anything, he doubled down...or should it be triple?

 

[Kein Mitleid]

My wonder is how someone gets near enough to a molten iron pit, nine days into the job, to fall in?

Seems like a whole bunch of details are missing.

 

[Redmanss]

My wonder is how someone gets near enough to a molten iron pit, nine days into the job, to fall in?

Seems like a whole bunch of details are missing.

He was pulling a sample, it was his job as a “Melting Specialist” to do so. It was his supervisor’s and management’s job to make sure they had barriers and/or procedures in place to keep him from falling in. They failed to do that.

 

[EddieNFL]

He was pulling a sample, it was his job as a “Melting Specialist” to do so. It was his supervisor’s and management’s job to make sure they had barriers and/or procedures in place to keep him from falling in. They failed to do that.

It sounds as if the pit was surrounded by sawhorses and someone removed them. Never worked around molten metal, but I'm thinking safety guards would be something permanent and bypassing would require a conscious effort.

 

[UKDslayer]

This story is worse:

 

[quietmike]

If I'm working within 6ft of a 6ft drop without any guardrails in place, I have to have my company provided fall restraint gear on, and that is just working over regular ground let alone a 2600°F pit of molten iron like this guy was. If I neglect to wear it and I'm caught/called out on it, I'm pulled out of service, piss tested and cannot report back to work until the investigation board is completed (if I even still have a job). That's an absolute, as bad as working on the tracks without protection to keep me from getting hit by a train or working under a stick of rail being moved by crane, and all as stupid as it gets in my railroading industry.

It's pretty shameful Caterpillar has no (or very limited) prevention protocols in place to keep someone falling into something like that, as well as shameful the UAW didn't do their main fucking job of ensuring worker safety is in place. Having to lean over a molten iron pit with no guardrail and no fall gear on to take a sample? Get the fuck out of here, a five year old knows that's stupid and they believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

Industrial safety is no joke, especially when the lone consequence of an accident is death. Those working blue collar jobs, think about this in your own daily work activities and hopefully you can effect change where needed.

OSHA is a damn joke.
We knew about surprise inspections two weeks in advance. The company (printing) would move illegal chemicals (toluene, MEK) to another plant until the inspection was over, then ship them back.

This is after two guys nearly burned to death after a bypassed LFL sensor, and another guy had an arm ruined when a safety interlock was bypassed and his hand was pulled into the machine, degloved, and several arm muscles were tore away from the bone.

 

[Maser]

I was just thinking of something really shitty now. What if when he fell into the molten iron, he didn't sink and just floated on the top like what would happen if it was lava instead. Now THAT would be a shitty way to die!

 

[EddieNFL]

OSHA is a damn joke.
We knew about surprise inspections two weeks in advance. The company (printing) would move illegal chemicals (toluene, MEK) to another plant until the inspection was over, then ship them back.

This is after two guys nearly burned to death after a bypassed LFL sensor, and another guy had an arm ruined when a safety interlock was bypassed and his hand was pulled into the machine, degloved, and several arm muscles were tore away from the bone.

OSHA is like the IRS. If they open an investigation, they WILL find something.

 

[Bullfrog08]

OSHA is a damn joke.
We knew about surprise inspections two weeks in advance. The company (printing) would move illegal chemicals (toluene, MEK) to another plant until the inspection was over, then ship them back.

This is after two guys nearly burned to death after a bypassed LFL sensor, and another guy had an arm ruined when a safety interlock was bypassed and his hand was pulled into the machine, degloved, and several arm muscles were tore away from the bone.

We dont need regulations for safety anymore than we need laws for guns. If you know the risk, do the job or dont. If you want to ride with a helmet, then ride with a helmet. Guy knew the risk......i know the risk in my job and I steer clear. If someone wants me to do things that put me above my acceptable risk limits....no thanks.

We all take risk everyday. Just driving to work or stepping in the shower. Where is the end to regulation?

OSHA is just there to help lawyers find a price tag for your injury or life.

 

[Kein Mitleid]

I agree completely, my opinion is that the guy doing the job gets the final comment on safety. I’ve worked in a variety of shops, some were huge and everything was done as safely as possible and some couldn’t care less and so safety was the job of the operator.

I declined the request to weld up a gas tank one day, something I had never done before. My supervisor was willing to set it up ‘safely’ for me to do it as best as he understood but was not willing to put his own hands and face in front of a gas tank and weld it. My final word was ‘fire me and stick your own face in that gas tank’. All of a sudden doing that task became a very low priority and I was shifted back to other work.

Outsourcing this final check to other people other than yourself is going to find you injured, but with someone to blame. However you’re still the one left horribly injured or dead.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I was just thinking of something really shitty now. What if when he fell into the molten iron, he didn't sink and just floated on the top like what would happen if it was lava instead. Now THAT would be a shitty way to die!

Really, he would not sink... well, depending on his impact velocity.

But carbon and water are much lighter than iron/steel. So he wasn't going to sink... even if the viscosity of the iron was really.... runny. He'd pop to the surface! It was not a pretty way to go.

And the whole mill probably smelled like pulled pork for hours. Just 'sayin.

Sirhr

 

[Redmanss]

And the whole mill probably smelled like pulled pork for hours. Just 'sayin.

One article said when they reopened two days later, they still smelled him.

OSHA is a damn joke.
We knew about surprise inspections two weeks in advance. The company (printing) would move illegal chemicals (toluene, MEK) to another plant until the inspection was over, then ship them back.

This is after two guys nearly burned to death after a bypassed LFL sensor, and another guy had an arm ruined when a safety interlock was bypassed and his hand was pulled into the machine, degloved, and several arm muscles were tore away from the bone.

Completely agree, that their inspections are a joke at least. Same with us and FRA inspections, it's a check in the box for the most part and we know in advance when they're coming, but we don't shuffle and hide shit. because we can't. The real test is daily operations done safely and efficiently, with everything working as intended.

Worker safety is on the worker first, but management always has the obligation to ensure their facilities and procedures are up to snuff. In my more adventurous days I would clip into the floor of the Huey before shooting out the door or working with a student. Was as simple as a sling rope, figure 8 tied into either end with a carabiner to attach to my instructor belt. It wouldn't have stopped me, more likely yanked my pants right off if I fell naked to my death, but had it short enough to keep me from going out the door in the first place. My company provided nothing, even the Marine Corps only provided gunner belts, but it was on me to at least try to keep my ass in that bird and go home as round as I arrived.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

One article said when they reopened two days later, they still smelled him.

One merely has to have been somewhere near a napalm strike to understand this. Crackle, crackle, crackle!

What do I know... I was in Marketing.

Sirhr

 

[redhooker]

When reported originally back in June, the workers said only half of him went in and “melted” off, the other half of his body was left on the gantry for hours.

 

[458win]

At least they didn't have to sort out the remains from the wood chips.

Highly likely he was standing in front of it between branches. When they feed in they snap together. If you’re dumb enough to be between them you’re quite literally fucked.
Always feed the big chippers from the side.

 

[AngryKoala]

One article said when they reopened two days later, they still smelled him.


Completely agree, that their inspections are a joke at least. Same with us and FRA inspections, it's a check in the box for the most part and we know in advance when they're coming, but we don't shuffle and hide shit. because we can't. The real test is daily operations done safely and efficiently, with everything working as intended.

Worker safety is on the worker first, but management always has the obligation to ensure their facilities and procedures are up to snuff. In my more adventurous days I would clip into the floor of the Huey before shooting out the door or working with a student. Was as simple as a sling rope, figure 8 tied into either end with a carabiner to attach to my instructor belt. It wouldn't have stopped me, more likely yanked my pants right off if I fell naked to my death, but had it short enough to keep me from going out the door in the first place. My company provided nothing, even the Marine Corps only provided gunner belts, but it was on me to at least try to keep my ass in that bird and go home as round as I arrived.

The only problem I have with this statement is some people care more for safety than others. Those people can cause harm/kill others by acting in an unsafe manner. I've caught idiots smoking near a open flammable cabinet.

 

[OkieMike]

I agree completely, my opinion is that the guy doing the job gets the final comment on safety. I’ve worked in a variety of shops, some were huge and everything was done as safely as possible and some couldn’t care less and so safety was the job of the operator.

I declined the request to weld up a gas tank one day, something I had never done before. My supervisor was willing to set it up ‘safely’ for me to do it as best as he understood but was not willing to put his own hands and face in front of a gas tank and weld it. My final word was ‘fire me and stick your own face in that gas tank’. All of a sudden doing that task became a very low priority and I was shifted back to other work.

Outsourcing this final check to other people other than yourself is going to find you injured, but with someone to blame. However you’re still the one left horribly injured or dead.

About 6 months ago I got into it with my project manager... He wanted us to drop new motor leads into a piece of gear. The problem was the feeders feeding the line side of the breaker. They were ancient and the insulation was brittle and crumbling... And they were fed directly off of the bus bars. No way to deenergize them without shutting everything off.

His idea was to put the flash suit on and build a barrier around the line side feeders to minimize the risk.

I flat out refused.

If those things exploded, the suit MIGHT have protected me... Or I might have wound up in the burn unit. And whether I was injured or not, the facility would have been shut down. Not real conducive to keeping a contract.

Fortunately, the facility maintenance superintendent had the final say... And he said it could wait until the turnaround and we would shut all the gear down.

For about an hour I wondered if my refusal was going to cost me my job... But even if it did it was a better option than getting dead flesh scrubbed off with scrub brushes and that green soap in the burn center.

Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and say NO.

Mike

 

[Maggot]

About 6 months ago I got into it with my project manager... He wanted us to drop new motor leads into a piece of gear. The problem was the feeders feeding the line side of the breaker. They were ancient and the insulation was brittle and crumbling... And they were fed directly off of the bus bars. No way to deenergize them without shutting everything off.

His idea was to put the flash suit on and build a barrier around the line side feeders to minimize the risk.

I flat out refused.

If those things exploded, the suit MIGHT have protected me... Or I might have wound up in the burn unit. And whether I was injured or not, the facility would have been shut down. Not real conducive to keeping a contract.

Fortunately, the facility maintenance superintendent had the final say... And he said it could wait until the turnaround and we would shut all the gear down.

For about an hour I wondered if my refusal was going to cost me my job... But even if it did it was a better option than getting dead flesh scrubbed off with scrub brushes and that green soap in the burn center.

Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and say NO.

Mike

This.

The one responsible for your safety is you.