Well, blow me down! 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
I work part time for an industrial safety training company, and we get publications which tell of the details behind industrial death case studies. One such case study which came our way, which I can't find the #%&*#@ publication, tells of a story involving improper supervision, improper training, improper storage of equipment, and simple plain stupidity, all which led to someone drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool.
Shipyards often hire casual labor to do menial tasks on ship refits. One such casual worker was hired to grind the rust and old paint off a steel wall below decks. He was given the grinder, sandpaper and rags, and left alone. After a while, he noticed that no matter how much he wiped the wall down, there would still be some dust left on the metal. That's when he noticed an air hose nearby. He found that if he squeezed the handle, a burst of air would come out the nozzle. He proceeded to periodically use this to blow down the wall, thereby getting rid of the dust. When he decided to take a break, he also used the air hose to blow the dust from his own work clothes, and then went above decks for a smoke. What he failed to recognize was that the airhose had two lines running into it and was actually an oxy-acetylene welding torch. He had been spraying the area, and himself, down with pure oxygen. The oxygen impregnated itself in his clothing, and when he lit up his cigarette (in an approved smoking area), he went up like a roman candle. Submitted on 07/24/2002
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
unknown - Industrial safety
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