Flaring oxygen burns tutor
BY KIRSTY JOHNSTON
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A welding tutor from Witt was rushed to hospital after oxygen flared and burnt him while he was changing the valve on a bottle yesterday.
Witnesses from an adjacent engineering class said they heard a huge bang and ran out to find the 21-year-old man with burns to his arms and face.
Ambulance and fire services arrived quickly after the gas flared, cordoned off the area and rushed the tutor to hospital.
Witt chief executive Richard Handley said he understood the injuries weren't serious, but a burn on the man's arm was particularly bad.
"It appears that either a fitting or a pressure hose failed and the venting oxygen flashed as oxygen bottles were being exchanged," Mr Handley said.
Earlier reports that the oxygen tank itself exploded were incorrect.
Mr Handley said it appeared to be a very unusual accident and not the result of any fault by the tutor.
"The oxygen bottles have been swapped every two days for 25 years and I'm advised that this has never happened before," he said.
The incident will now be subject to Witt and Department of Labour investigations.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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