Change my location 
|
|
Article History This is the latest version.
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - A young worker remained in critical condition Monday evening after suffering serious burns in a chemical explosion at the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Sparrows Point, fire officials said.
Baltimore County firefighters responded to an explosion at what is now the Arcelor Mittal plant just after 12:30 p.m. Monday, said department spokeswoman Elise Armacost. The contractor, who was not identified, was burned by a burst of molten slag — a 3,000-degree steel waste product — that he dumped into a pit of water, officials said.
The victim was transported to the burn center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center with potentially life-threatening injuries. The explosion sent slag and steam “shooting high into the air,” officials said, and debris from the blast landed on the metal roof of a nearby warehouse.
The roof melted, igniting a two-alarm fire that took an hour to control. Damage was estimated at $130,000.
John Cirri, president of the local steel union, said workers know not to mix water and slag. He speculated the victim may not have seen the water.
“An accident like that, it doesn’t happen very often,” Cirri said. “It’s real scary.”
An Arcelor Steel representative did not return a call by press time.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
 Not ranked |
 EMAIL ME THIS STORY |
ARTICLE HISTORY 
Comments from Examiner Readers
7:58 AM MST on Wed., May. 14, 2008 re: "Retired Bethlehem Steel workers fighting to prevent pension cuts"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
I could see a mistake in a calculation, but it's hard to justify making folks pay it back. My father is facing this situation from his National Steel pension, that, after 7 years, PBGC has uncovered the calculation error and is making him pay back 7 years of overpayment. I'd sure like to know what we can do to fight this. The appeal process requires showing PBGC that their calculation in wrong. How do we know what the calculation is, or what it was 7 years ago? The PBGC apparently holds all the cards and can lower pension benefits as their returns on the stock market decrease. If the overpayment was their fault, it's not fair to make my father pay them back, since my father had no way of knowing he was being overpaid in the first place! Where to do we go to get some help on this? Thank you.
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree