From STEEL GRIPS online
ArcelorMittal crane operator credited with averting disaster
Feb 10, 2009
The quick reaction of an ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor East crane operator averted a possibly disaster Thursday night, a union official said.
A ladle containing 120 t of molten liquid steel was being moved from the electric furnace to the caster when the ladle tipped and spilled its contents, said Tom Hargrove, president of United Steelworkers Local 1010.
The investigation is ongoing, but the crane apparently malfunctioned," Hargrove told said. "The quick thinking of the crane man averted what could have been a terrible tragedy."
He added that the crane operator's quick thinking allowed the liquid steel to spill harmlessly onto the sand and gravel floor, where it left behind a big, black pancake.
"When I got the call, I was worried because that's the area were we had a double fatality in 1997," he said. "But thankfully no one was injured. You can replace equipment but not lives."
A joint union-ArcelorMittal investigation is looking into the accident.
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