Warning: Graphic (But Not That Graphic) Example of a Workplace Accident and Forklift Operator Danger

Safely operating a forklift requires awareness of the conditions at your workplace. Forklifts are used for picking up, transporting, stacking and unstacking loads.

Working in a foundry presents a range of work health and safety risks including:
• explosion and burns from molten metal and other hot materials
• respiratory effects from exposure to gases, vapors, fumes and dusts
• skin effects from contact with corrosive or sensitizing chemicals
• eye damage from light radiation, metal fragments, dusts, and chemical splashes
• heat stress, heat stroke, and fatigue from hot working conditions
• slips, trips, and falls
• joint, muscle sprains and strains
• physical injuries from machinery and equipment e.g. by entanglement or crushing
• health effects from machinery and equipment e.g. caused by vibration and noise.

[jackschitt]

You should have shared this info, Kyle Thill:
What this video shows is a common thing that happens when smelting aluminum. The driver didn't get excited because this happens quite often, it's why the shield is on the front of the forklift as well as why there's a door that closes on the furnace. This is a recycling plant.
When water meets molten aluminum it explodes. Water causes the same basic reaction in other metal compounds when they're in red hot liquid form. The mistake or carelessness here wasn't the forklift driver's. It was that that bail wasn't left sit long enough to insure it was completely dry.

I've worked at foundries that cast different metals. As a graphic safety test they would introduce water to molten metals to show us what it did (explode) so we wouldn't mess around with making sure everything was completely dry before it went in to the furnace or got mixed. Despite our best efforts explosions like this still happened sometimes because aluminum cans hold liquid....soda pop has a lot of water in it. This wasn't the drivers fault.
It's part of working at a plant that recycles metal.

The driver was probably not hurt. Where he went and why he drove off was to:
1. Get out of that area away from the molten metal because gases are released including hydrogen and oxygen which are also both in the air we breathe in small amounts. They use electric motors in the forklifts instead of gas (propane). Using fuel powered lifts for this process is a mistake in it self.
2. Go to the safety area where a fire extinguisher station or a big pile of sand is (they use for molds) to smother the stuff that was still burning on the forklift off. The forklift it self wasn't on fire that was molten metal. It does that when it goes out because it's releasing flammable gasses. They use Class B (foam) fire extinguishers or dump sand on the forklift with a front end loader bucket and bury. They use compressed air to blow the sand off once it's out. Sand is preferred because it doesn't stick to the forklift like the foam does.

This is what the description or narration or text included with this video should say:

It's unlikely anyone was hurt. These explosions happen working in metal recycling plants.

[Andrew-cunk]

Holy shit, I'm surprised it didn't have a bad ending for the guy. Damn, that was harsh. Anything can happen while on the job. 😟

[dansdoves]

I used to work at an iron foundry and on the graveyard shift was when we would "charge" the furnaces. That consisted of adding scrap metal to the already molten pool of iron inside of the furnace to bring it up to the point where the day shift would have enough in the furnace to pour into molds. We added the scrap using a mechanical bucket that would move forward and dump the scrap inside to be melted. Occasionally to break up the monotony we would pee into the bucket of scrap and when it got dumped into the furnace...yep same reaction. Water hitting molten metal creates a violent reaction ok sometimes blowing sparks 15 feet or so out of the furnace. The foundry is a very dangerous place alright.

[meghanm]

He just zooms away lmfao he's like IMMA HEAD OUT

[patrickcharles]

When water meets molten aluminum, that's what it does. The shield on top and in front of the cab saved him from a painful injury or death. Casting aluminum is a dangerous process. Emphasis must be on safety at every point in that process.

[servecomp]

He is lucky as fuck!! I love that how he back it up run through molten of fire like nothing ever happened!

[TheBypasser]

Playing "the floor is lava" was never that immersive...

[JojoAguirre]

he drive out to open area to avoid more serious incident of a burning forklift inside a building...

[jasonlopez]

It must have a windshield he just drove away like nothing happened

[kendaniels]

I cant believe he drove that hi-low away from that. God has bigger plans for his life.

[billygladman]

I like to think he didn't realise anything went wrong and just went off to grab the next pile to chuck into the furnace🤣🤣

[JohnSmith-xutj]

Laughing my ass of at how he backs up and drives through it again like "Oh fuck time to clock out soon" cant miss that lol

[kevinhaid]

Despite how bad this looks..as someone who's worked in foundries where ton upon ton of aluminum was smelted, this isn't "entirely" uncommon. I can almost guarantee that the driver was not hurt, which is why he looked to be 100% calm and collected as he drove away. This wasn't so much an act of carelessness as it was a simple accident that does and can very easily happen in a setting such as this...title of this video is a bit misleading, not to mention there's absolutely nothing graphic here. Some people see things very differently from most, I suppose.

[RiverBottomBoys.]

Driver: "Well, time for lunch"

[aimeecorfield]

My husband just died in a horrible work place accident three weeks ago. My heart hurts for all those who are just trying to make an honest living and die doing so. My life is shattered.

[pauldunneska]

He kept his cool in the heat of the moment.

[sololuisvlogs]

If the driver didn’t have that shield 🛡 he would be toast.

[WJen]

"We should put protective glass in front of the forklifts."
"What, why? Do you even know how much that costs?"
"Just in case there's an accident and the molten waste somehow gets out of the furnace."
"Like that's gonna' happen... This is coming out of your budget."
[This video]
"Told you."

[jtveg]

Fortunately they had the brains to place a clear plastic shield in front of the driver. Otherwise he'd be a molten puddle on the forklift seat.

[GoBigC]

Not necessarily a "forklift accident" but it is what happens when cold or wet sows are put directly into the melt pool. Thats why they are trained to leave un-preheated sows on the hearth to come up to temp.