INVESTIGATION REPORT Steel Manufacturing Incident

On February 2, 2001, a fire occurred at Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s Burns Harbor mill in Chesterton, Indiana. One Bethlehem Steel millwright and one contractor supervisor died. Four Bethlehem Steel millwrights were injured, one seriously. Workers were attempting to remove a slip blind1 and a cracked valve from a coke oven gas (COG) line leading to a decommissioned furnace. During removal of the valve, flammable liquid was released and ignited. Because of the serious nature of the incident, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) launched an investigation to determine the root and contributing causes and to issue recommendations to help prevent similar occurrences.