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JICOSH Home > Case Studies > Case No.33
Case No.33


Fatality due to heatstroke during lead ingot manufacturing a smelting furnace
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[Circumstances of Incident]

This accident occurred in a plant where lead ingots are manufactured from lead scrap in a smelting furnace under the following process.

(1) The furnace is charged with lead scrap, which is smelted.
(2) Smelted lead is poured into ingot casting molds through a gutter.
(3) Smelted lead in the molds is cooled by using a water tank and air.
(4) Scum on the lead ingot surface is removed.
(5) Ingots are transported manually to the product warehouse in the plant, where they are stacked.

Starting from 7:35 on the day of the accident, five workers had been working in the ingot manufacturing process.

The victim was engaged in scum removal and transportation work during three hours in the morning (from 9:00 to noon, excluding a 40-minute lunch break) and about three hours in the afternoon. At around 15:50, he was found in a squatting position at the side of the water tank used for ingot cooling. As he did not respond to his colleague's voice, he was hospitalized and treated, but died six days later from heatstroke.
[Causes]
The direct cause of this accident was heatstroke caused by working for a long period in a  workplace of high- temperature. Workers who continue to work for long hours in an environment of high temperatures tend to suffer from heatstroke because the regulation of body temperature is disturbed, thereby preventing normal heat dissipation. This results in heat accumulation in the body, a high body temperature and illness.

It is also pointed out that obesity, circulatory organ disorders, digestive trouble, fatigue, lack of sleep, dehydration, and malnutrition can contribute to the occurrence of heatstrokes. The victim was considerably overweigh. In addition, he had caught a cold on the previous day. These various factors may have induced the occurrence of heatstroke.

Indirect causes may also include inadequate safety and health education relating to the prevention of heatstrokes and the lack of health management.
[Type of business] Non-ferrous metal refining
[Type of accident] Exposure to high temperatures
[Number of victims] One fatality
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