How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 227 severe cases involving hot or molten materials over the last decade. Thermal burns account for 93 percent of these incidents, often causing permanent tissue damage and requiring extensive skin grafting or long-term medical care.
These incidents often lead to prolonged hospitalizations and significant recovery times, especially when the exposure involves high-temperature metals or industrial chemicals.
Burned by hot materials? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Contact with hot objects or substances is the primary driver of these injuries, accounting for 89 percent of all reported incidents. You are most often harmed when molten materials splash during transport, leak from containment vessels, or erupt during cleaning processes on machinery like extruders. These events are frequently linked to failures in containment, improper cooling procedures, or the unexpected contact between molten materials and water.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 202 |
| 2 | Explosion of nonpressurized vapors, gases, or liquids | 9 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 7 |
| 4 | Ingestion of harmful substance | 2 |
| 5 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 2 |
| 6 | Explosion— n.e.c. | 2 |
| 7 | Exposure to environmental heat | 1 |
| 8 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 83 percent of these severe incidents, largely due to the constant handling of molten metals and plastics in high-speed production environments. Facilities using furnaces, cupolas, and extruders carry a heavy burden to maintain strict temperature controls and provide you with adequate protective equipment to prevent catastrophic contact burns.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you performing routine maintenance or material sampling when containment fails or materials splash unexpectedly. Many incidents occur when pressurized systems are opened or when molten substances interact with moisture, causing violent reactions. If your injury occurred during a similar process or due to a lack of proper heat-resistant gear, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "On July 29, 2025, at approximately 1:15 PM, an employee was cleaning a vent on an extruder machine. He was breaking a hardened plastic clog by hitting it with a mallet and a screwdriver. When he broke through the first layer of plastic, hot liquefied plastic that was under the hardened surface splashed onto the employee causing burns to his face, neck, arms, and hands." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was working near molten metal and experienced heat illness symptoms including cramps. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | OH | Administrative Services | "On July 24, 2025, an employee was shoveling material when a piece of steel slag fell from a nearby furnace and struck them in the back. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their thoracic vertebrae and a metatarsal." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was using a fork truck to move a tub containing molten iron that had been drained from the cupula. The tub tipped over and the molten metal came in contact with water. This caused the molten iron to splash back and burn the employee's upper torso." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was obtaining a lab sample of AC oil for an asphalt mix design when oil contacted his heat protection glove gauntlets. The employee removed the gloves when the oil contacted both his palms and six fingers, resulting in second-degree burns." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "On July 7, 2025, at approximately 1:45 AM, an employee was moving vermiculite in a zinc pan with shovel. Molten zinc entered his left boot and caused burns to his shin and the top of his foot." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was adding a solid block of crack filling compound into equipment for melting and it flamed up. The employee subsequently dropped the solid block into the heated material and the hot liquid splashed onto his head and face." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee in the melt department was getting ready to put a recirculation pump into the pump housing area. He first put the pump in a cabinet to warm it up to avoid thermal shock. It shifted and the cold refractory contacted the hot metal. Molten metal contacted the employee, resulting in third-degree burns between their knee(s) and ankle(s). The employee was wearing some personal protective equipment (PPE) at the time but this was breached by the molten metal." | |
| 2025 | IN | Construction | "The injured employee was performing roofing work with a crew. A mop was being used to apply tar to the roof. Hot tar splashed onto the injured employee's left hand. The back of their hand was burned." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "On June 4, 2025, an employee was skimming molten aluminum when it dripped down from the skimming spoon onto the employee's left pant leg, burning the top of their left foot. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.