Electric Arc Furnace

The electric furnace shown here was able to produce 15,000 tons of steel per month. The raw material was scrap, which was melted using electricity.

The E-furnace ensemble shows the most important aggregates of an electric steel plant as well as corresponding protective measures to protect the people working here from health risks and accident hazards. Electric furnaces were very loud, the peak values were approx. 120 dB(A), which corresponds to a starting jet engine at a distance of one meter.

The second major occupational safety problem is the dust emitted by the electric furnace. In addition to the noise and dust, the workers were also exposed to high temperatures in the form of radiant heat.

This electric arc furnace was in operation at the Westfalenhütte in Dortmund from 1955 to 1985.