On Wednesday morning there was an explosion at the “B” Battery at the U.S. Steel Clairton coke plant. The explosion injured twenty workers who were on site at the time.

The accident is the second for U.S. Steel during the past eight days. Their Gary Works facility suffered a major accident last Wednesday when an ore transfer car which is used to feed the blast furnaces fell twenty five feet injuring one employee and causing the company to shut down at least two blast furnaces.

Erin DiPietro, U.S. Steel spokesperson, provided two updates to Steel Market Update. One, shortly after noon on Wednesday and the second later that day. Steel Market Update chose to not go with the local news reports which had been referencing injuries to 11-15 individuals. As you can see from the U.S. Steel update provided to Steel Market Update on Wednesday evening the number was actually much higher:

“Today, 20 individuals were injured when an explosion and fire occurred at U. S. Steel’s Clairton Plant coke making operation. The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. while maintenance work was being performed in the basement of the B Battery. All other employees and contractors in the area at the time of the incident were safely evacuated from the area. Fourteen of the injured individuals were U. S. Steel employees and six were contractors. Three U. S. Steel employees were treated at the on-site medical facility. Seventeen total individuals were transported to local hospitals for treatment – 12 remain hospitalized. Members of our Medical Department are in close contact with all of the local hospitals that are treating the injured individuals. Our thoughts are with the individuals who were injured as well as their families.

In terms of Clairton’s operational status, B Battery is currently idle, but the rest of the plant is operating normally. We will begin assessing the area where the incident occurred to determine the extent of repairs and the impact on the operation of B Battery. Safety is a core value for our company and a full investigation into the cause of the incident is under way. We will be cooperating fully with the agencies involved in the investigation process as well as involved contractors.”

The coke battery are ovens used to make coke out of coal which is then used in the blast furnace along with iron ore and limestone to make pig iron (first step in the integrated steel making process).

SMU is checking with USS and other industry sources to see if we can ascertain whether this accident will impact production at Mon Valley or any other steel making facility.

Steel Market Update will continue to follow this story and report on the impact the shutdown of the B Battery will have on production at Mon Valley and other U.S. Steel flat rolled steel operations. You can follow our coverage of this story and other items which impact pricing and supply of steel in North America in our SMU newsletter which is published three times per week. You can register for a free trial online at www.steelmarketupdate.com.