A sad reminder about cutting drums/barrels for BBQ's

[PTsideshow]

Here is a link to a news story about a high school shop class making BBQ's out of drums and cutting same.

They were using MT peppermint oil drum. Peppermint oil is not only flammable but will generate heavier than air explosive vapors when heated only slightly. It is also allergenic and produces toxic fumes if burnt.

Sadly the latest news is the student didn't make it.

http://www.news1130.com/news/national/article/232110--student-gravely-hurt-after-explosion-at-ottawa-high-school

When cutting any closed container you can do the following which, I have come to believe to be a safe and inexpensive method.
Put a couple of pounds of dry ice in the drum and wait 15 minutes. Cut away. As safe as it gets with no other problems. If you fill it with water you have to dispose of the water afterwards as hazardous waste.

[PTsideshow]

The teacher and 4 other students were also hurt!

[Brass_Machine]

That is really sad. My thoughts go out to those hurt.

On a side note... hopefully the school doesn't close it's shop program now.

Eric

[one_rod]

Went into work this morning.

Now, none of the bosses ever turn in on a Saturday, so if anyone wants "government jobs" doing then this is the day to get them done.

In the maintenance shop where I work we have oxy-propane cutting gear. While I was out of the shop for a minute one of the guys off the factory floor had turned up with a 50 gallon drum.
"Just going to cut the top off this and blow a few holes the side. Want to make an incinerator for me garden" he said as I returned.

He was already trying to light the cutting torch when I noticed the word ACETONE stencilled on the side of the drum, as well as the usual big yellow "Flammable Liquid" sticker.

He really could not understand why I took the lighter off him and threw him, and his potential bomb out of the shop.  

If I'd been a minute later getting back we might have been featuring in our own news report. Frightening.




one_rod.

[ieezitin]

Wey aye lad.

Been there done that and got the tee-shirt.

People don’t read labels or realize what is or was contained in drums or piping.

Had a guy about 10 years ago bring in an engine block on the back of his truck into the loading dock of the turbine building of the power house (power station) where I was working, he was hooking up a regular garden hose to a bleed valve system of a main transmission line of 600lbs steam, when I asked what he was doing he told me that he wants to steam clean his motor, I proceeded to tell him if he valued all the teeth in his mouth (I was on the verge of face punching him) stop right there!,  the A-hole started to argue with me, my pipefitter buddy gave him a quick synopsis verbally that what he was just about to do was was tap into a continuous bomb that would blow holes through brick walls he calmed down. All he read on the piping was high pressure steam.

Go figure!....                        All the best   Anthony.

[PekkaNF]

Those stories are scary.

When something is completely out of everyday experience, people even don't consider it. Bright idea has an overriding force.

Pekka

[crabsign69]

i have a sad story about this .  i good freind of the family blue print welder and the whole nine yards with 30 plus years welding under his belt
he got a job big tank propane (he has done this many many times) did all the prep work to make safe and something went wrong. the dam thing blew up killed everybody in shop blew the shop apart (30 X 60 or better in size) very bad explosion. i will never ever cut any tank we lost a good man plus others that day. its just not worth it i dont care how many times you have done this or how good you think you are.  i miss that family friend learned some good stuff from him and will never forget the great work hes done he left behind wife kids all the family.