Abstract: Apparatus for use in repairing the lining of a metallurgical furnace or converter includes a work platform supported for elevation from below the converter vessel into the opening formed by removal of the bottom plug. A safety shield is supported above the platform for limited vertical movement relative to the platform. The shield can be radially expanded within the converter to a diameter substantially greater than that of the bottom hole to provide an effective umbrella-like shield protecting workers on the platform from radiated heat from the interior of the converter and from falling debris while at the same time allowing ventilation air to pass up through the converter. The apparatus is especially useful in repairing the refractory lining in the bottom of a Q-BOF, particularly the refractory rings surrounding the bottom plug, during which repair the safety shield can be lowered to contact the bottom of the refractory lining outboard of the area being repaired.