Molten steel spill kills worker, 49

NEWPORT - A Bald Knob man was killed Wednesday when molten steel from a tipped kettle poured on him, Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas said.

Michael E. Myers, 49, died at 12:55 p.m. at the Arkansas Steel Associates factory on Van Dyke Road in Newport, Lucas said. The accident occurred when a cable system that a crane used to move kettles of molten steel snapped. The kettle fell, spilling more than 38 tons of the searing liquid on Myers.

No other workers were injured, but the crane operator was taken to a hospital and treated for shock, Lucas said.

Members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will travel to the factory and investigate the accident, the sheriff said.

Arkansas Steel Associates, which opened in Jackson County in 1989, makes steel products for the railroad industry. The factory closed after the accident.

Arkansas, Pages 16 on 02/20/2014

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