Steam Burns

Earlier this year, a man in Portage, Indiana, was placed into an induced coma after an industrial accident at the steel mill where he worked left him with third degree burns over 55 percent of his body.

The accident happened one evening at the ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor plant, when a high-pressure steam hose ruptured from where it was connected to an oxygen furnace. Gabe Rocha, a salaried foreman who transferred from the firm’s Inland Steel plant to the Burns Harbor facility about six months ago, was checking pressure lines that are part of the cooling system when the hose ruptured.

At the time of the accident, workers were investigating an alert that a steam pressure line had stopped working properly. While Rocha was looking into the situation, the hose ruptured with such force that it threw him about 200 feet, dousing him with steam.

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Boiling water steam can cause steam burns. The burn can vary in severity from a minor to a major burn. It can be a first degree burn part I, II, second degree or a third degree burn part I, II. The temperature of boiling water steam is more than 100 degree centigrade (which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit) and pure steam is invisible, therefore the person can be in danger of a steam burn without being aware of it. Steam can be inhaled leading to airway burns that can have serious consequences and can end in the patient’s death.

When a patient has a steam burn, it’s important to assess the severity of the burn, a superficial steam burn can be treated at home see first degree burns part I, II. Major burns need medical attention.

Avoid the following:

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