Dive Cylinder Explodes - Sydney

[tbzep]

Ah, but they aren't built to keep someone safe, they are built to meet a government specification, specifically an NFPA rating. I've built my own for far less than a containment fill station costs, and am ready to give it to someone.

Unless someone is sitting on top of ours, they will be safe. Deaf probably, but safe.

 

[Campbell73]

It seems that a dive cylinder has exploded in a dive shop at Cronulla, Sydney. My information is that someone has been injured, but I have no more information at the moment. Hoping it is not too bad.

Yes it was my cousin who is 26 years old. He is trained and very experienced. He was walking towards a tank when it exploded. He has had one leg amputated at the top of his thigh. He may lose the second leg. He has skull fractures. But you just all go on and discuss the ins and outs of oxygen tanks.

 

[cerich]

Yes it was my cousin who is 26 years old. He is trained and very experienced. He was walking towards a tank when it exploded. He has had one leg amputated at the top of his thigh. He may lose the second leg. He has skull fractures. But you just all go on and discuss the ins and outs of oxygen tanks.

Really sorry to hear what happened to your cousin. Prayers to his recovery

I can understand why you are upset with this discussion, please keep in mind that these discussions, while they may seem somewhat cold to you considering your cousins condition the discussions can help educate others and hopefully help prevent future incidents.

The reason why the ins and out of tanks are being discussed is because like your cousin, many of us here fill tanks on a daily or frequent basis. From what information was gathered here type of cylinder (tank) that exploded is a important part of it all.

If you have any questions, or any of your family don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[Wookie]

Yes it was my cousin who is 26 years old. He is trained and very experienced. He was walking towards a tank when it exploded. He has had one leg amputated at the top of his thigh. He may lose the second leg. He has skull fractures. But you just all go on and discuss the ins and outs of oxygen tanks.

I understand you're hurting, but I don't think anyone was filling oxygen tanks.

 

[cerich]

I understand you're hurting, but I don't think anyone was filling oxygen tanks.

I think he made the same mistake the media always does and just called them a oxygen tank...

 

[iain/hsm]

Pro dive Cronulla is situated on a main pedestrian shopping street with a big glass front window.
It beggers belief that they would not have in place a suitable blast cabinet to protect innocent by standers walking past the place while they jack about with a 26 year old alloy paintball cylinder.

For the benefit of those not familiar with the protection offered by the use of blast cabinets
here are a couple of You Tube video’s of test blasts.

The first is of an old IWKA steel scuba cylinder, bursting at around 350 barg

The second is of a 4500psi WP fibre wrap cylinder bursting showing the energy release increase

The third is modal acoustic noise emission monitoring of the microscopic fracture prior to a water burst failure of a 4500psi SCBA fibre wrap cylinder

 

[pspeirs]

The issue is currently with work cover so spreading BS like the posts above will serve no purpose other than to further alienate against the industry. You are talking out of your rear picking up on rumors and running with them. Best not to say anything at all if you don't know the facts, and in regards to the guys cousin, if he doesn't dive then he probably doesn't know whether it's air, O2 or a mix, and it really doesn't matter.

Send your thoughts to the poor guy rather than speculating on what you consider the problem was, as I said, as far as what is FACT at this point is that there was an accident and someone was injured, that's it!

 

[iain/hsm]

The issue is currently with work cover so spreading BS like the posts above will serve no purpose other than to further alienate against the industry. You are talking out of your rear picking up on rumors and running with them. Best not to say anything at all if you don't know the facts, and in regards to the guys cousin, if he doesn't dive then he probably doesn't know whether it's air, O2 or a mix, and it really doesn't matter.

Send your thoughts to the poor guy rather than speculating on what you consider the problem was, as I said, as far as what is FACT at this point is that there was an accident and someone was injured, that's it!

We are not talking about alienation here, but isolation.

Isolate this dive shop out on it’s own somewhere if these clowns want to fill 26 year old cylinders in a busy shopping street with only a plate glass window out front as the blast shield.
As for your suggestion its an industry, it’s not. It looks like a shop to me and one that can’t fill a tank safely.

As for Worksafe now I trust they look at the shops set up very carefully.
The cylinder filling logs, the filling set up repair logs, The service history of the equipment. Who did the servicing how are they qualified. The last gauge calibration test. etc etc

The “Industry” standard written risk assesment would have required adequate equipment in order to keep an operator safe while at work and identified this cylinder prior to filling unless of course regardless it turns out that the cylinder in question for paintball was a back door fill as a free “mate rates”.

Non the less the operators duty of care would conclude a subsequent blast in a filling blast cabinet would have been a better $5000 alternative that the consequent damage to life and limb.

Written evidence of relevant competence and training of the operators and management.
Written evidence of each relevant filling equipment component of its suitability age, service history. A filling SOP and a written risk assessment. etc etc
I suggest this dive shop starts typing them up and fast.

And if that don’t rock your boat just for starters, a reminder that our collective responsibility in this industry and forum and at our respective work sites is our duty of care to others to advise inform discuss and educate others in managing risks found within our daily occupational hazards and having our respective employers provide adequate safety equipment components and plant with which we can safely conduct our required work.

Finally in rely to your last paragraph I can’t help this poor lad, I don’t speculate but I will do all I can to help the next chap filling a cylinder at work for pay, yourself included.

 

[clownfishsydney]

The relevant authority looking into this is Workcover NSW, not anyone else mentioned in above posts.

Everything I have posted about this accident has come from people who were either first emergency responders to the scene, people working either side of the dive shop (including the person who applied torniquet) or other people with first hand evidence/knowledge of what happened. Not one thing I have posted is speculative, I am confident it is fact.

Also, unless the current owner has changed the layout from the past two owners, the tank filling area is at the rear of the shop, so it is impossible for an exploding tank to injure someone walking past on the street out front.

It is sad that Matt has been severely injured, but it is very important that what happened gets out now to the wider dive industry to ensure that no-one else suffers a similar injury or worse.

 

[iain/hsm]

SNIP
the tank filling area is at the rear of the shop, so it is impossible for an exploding tank to injure someone walking past on the street out front.

It doesn’t have to be impossible all it has to do is present a potential risk to break the glass on an innocent bystander walking by and if has not been accounted for in the risk assesment to the insurers the operator/owner stands liable. Further it would be shown in the shops written risk assessment and risk procedure with the insurers. Building structure, floors, walls, ceilings, glass etc

The shop fills high pressure cylinders by it’s trade therefore it will be required to have this in place.

As for the rear of the shop, the road that side is still a public pedestrian thoroughfare.
Offering the same risk to the public and pedestrians either side.

Or maybe dive shops still insure as sports gear retail premises and omit to inform the insurer that high pressure cylinder filling is part of the business. Wont be the first time.