Michael Yates
Tom Lehman wrote:
> One of my friends got seriously burnt early Monday morning when the
> brakes on the remote control engine he was operating locked up while he
> was in the process of moving a hot metal car sometimes called a torpedo
> or a sub ladle.
>
> I have been told that Terry suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns from the
> molten iron that splashed out of the ladle. His face, neck, back, arm,
> ankle and foot were burned. He is under going skin grafts and may have
> to have reconstructive surgery on his ear. I have also been told that
> he has
> 14 iv's in him.
>
> Terry is a big, personable and good looking guy who was introduced
> to me by a former general superintendent of the Blast Furnaces years
> ago. The gentleman who introduced us had a sign on his office door that
> read CEO Blast Furnaces. Needless to say Terry is a smart and
> experienced operator.
>
> At the time of his accident Terry was doing the job of two men, engine
> operator and brakeman/switchman. Up until a year or so ago this had
> been a two man job. An operator/engineer in the cab of the engine and a
> brakeman/switchman on the track. Due to the pressure of global
> competition and the ensuing job elimination this had become a one man
> job with the operator performing both functions by using a remote radio
> control. Yes, one man moving 250 ton ladles of molten iron around with
> a railroad engine by himself. If you have ever seen railroad cars
> coupled or switched you may have some idea of what I'm writing about and
> I'm writing about railroad cars containing liquid molten iron not dead
> weight.
>
> There are other aspects of this accident that are not good either. Like
> why it took these here today gone tomorrow security guards 28 minutes to
> get an ambulance to the scene of the accident? Why the engine
> maintenance contractor had not performed due diligence on the engines
> mechanical systems? Why management hadn't listened to the warnings from
> the union?
>
> This is the human cost of globalization. Good competent Steelworkers
> like Terry getting hurt or worse in the name of global competition and
> free trade.
>
> Tom Lehman