Cobbles: steel mill mishaps where hot steel reels out like a nightmare light saber

Spewing like massive tentacular light sabers, steel mill cobbles are unpredictable workplace mishaps that represent "extreme manufacturing danger."

The temperature of molten steel is in excess of 1300C (2500F) and it goes without saying that those in the vicinity of strips of molten metal need to be extremely careful. This steel is heated to such temperatures to make it more manageable and allow strips to be gradually reduced in diameter to the required size ... There are images aplenty of steel cobbles because while they are extremely dangerous they happen on a daily basis in many steel plants. Indeed when producing steel via this process you will regularly hear people quote the cobble rate which is in effect the rate of waste.

Some of these videos are weirdly beautiful; all of these are absolutely terrifying.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOapjw97vMg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avthfErKATE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok-F7b3paqE

Here, a stern British man explains what's happening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUj6e022Xjo

https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/955561048131678213