After the raw materials and recycled steel are collected, they are shipped to steel mills, such as the ones throughout North America, to be manufactured into crude steel. The following map shows the steel mills in North America:
[(Steel Mills in North America)]
There are two main routes for steel production: the integrated steelmaking route (based on blast furnace (BF) and basic oxygen furnace (BOF)) and the electric arc furnace (EAF). The integrated steelmaking route uses a significantly greater amount of raw materials, including iron ore, limestone, coal, and recycled steel, to produce the same amount of steel as the EAF route. The EAF route uses electricity, recycled steels, and direct reduced iron or hot metal. On average, the integrated steelmaking route uses 1,400 more kg of iron ore, 784 more kg of coal, 236 more kg of limestone, and 760 less kg of recycled steel to produce the same 1,000 kg of crude steel as the EAF route (worldsteel association, 2014). The following graphic shows the steelmaking processes in greater detail:
Steelmaking routes, (worldsteel association 2014).
Steel mills provide their own set of challenging, dangerous occupational hazards, most of which are fairly intuitive. Based on the fact that iron ore dust is toxic and radioactive while mining, it is logical to assume that those same dangers would be present inside the steel mills. The workers are subject to everyday hazards, such as trips, slips, and falls, but they are also subjected to dangers specific to the steel mill. Thinking about the chemical properties of iron and recycled steel, the furnaces used to produce crude steel must be extremely hot. Workers are subject to these extreme temperatures putting them at risk for burns, heat exhaustion, and death. The presence of multiple dangers can cause excess stress both physically and mentally, which could lead to health problems later in life as well. Steel mills also produce air pollutants due to toxic chemical expelled through the steelmaking processes.