It’s a hard way to go, and on a new job. I have hard time believing they would put him out there without training or safety equipment or even pair him with a trainer or experienced worker.
I had a friend who worked at US Steel Hegwish. He told stories. A smelter is a dangerous place. A little splash of molten metal in a puddle of water = big explosion. A spill and you are burned or incinerated.
I worked one summer in a foundry. They were fairly tough on procedures but one idiot didn’t like the boot covers so didn’t wear them. Long story short he ended up with molten iron poured inside his boot. He was an ass and no one liked him. Almost cheered when this happened.