Worker incinerated by molten steel heated to nearly 3,000ºF

Summary: An unsuspecting worker was incinerated after he was engulfed in molten steel heated to nearly 3,000ºF.

The incident: When Jawaylan Patterson was instructed by his boss to grab a hose and descend into a pit in an area where molten steel was being poured into castings, he didn’t think too much about it. After all, pouring molten steel into castings was a routine activity at Ellwood Engineered Castings, Hubbard, OH.

So Patterson positioned himself in the pit with the hose in his hands as a coworker operated a crane and began to pour molten steel into a casting. Patterson’s job was to use the hose to wash off any leaks from the casting.

As the crane operator began to add the molten steel to the casting, however, something went horribly wrong and the steel began to flow out of the casting. The crane operator yelled for everyone to get out of the way, but Patterson wasn’t fast enough. He was rapidly engulfed in molten steel heated to nearly 3,000ºF.

The response: Because it was too risky to enter the pit, no one could help Patterson as he was incinerated by the molten steel. A coworker called
9-1-1 and stated, “I think someone got burned up.”

By the time emergency responders arrived, staffers were still watering down the pit so they could recover what remained of Patterson.

The aftermath: Patterson, 30, left behind his fiancee and two young children. He was recalled as a compassionate person who donated his time and money to Youngstown United as One, a charitable organization.

“Jawaylan had quite a sense of humor,” read his obituary, “and people would follow him on social media just to share their laughter with him.”

(From the Feb. 12, 2024, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)