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Hey Boys. yes you. can you just take this old welder over to that giant tank and do some welding for me ? yep that Glycerol tank.....
Man critical after factory blast October 6, 2010
AAP
Two men have been injured, one critically, in a massive explosion in Melbourne's north that emergency workers say could easily have claimed lives.
The explosion in Aylward Avenue, Thomastown, just 300 metres from the local fire station, at about 12.30pm (AEDT), blew a large stainless steel storage tank 130 metres from the biodiesel refinery, damaging three cars, Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) spokesman John Taylor said.
"It was lucky there was no one driving past," he told AAP.
Advertisement: Story continues below Ambulance Victoria paramedic group manager Tony Elliott said he was amazed there were only two casualties.
"It's incredible that more people weren't injured in the blast," Mr Elliott said.
"The vat landed about 100 metres up the street and steel pipes dropped on to cars, leaving an extensive trail of damage.
"Thankfully, no one in the street was hit by the flying debris."
A 75-year-old man, who was closest to the blast, suffered burns to about half his body.
"The man had apparently been welding a large cylinder-type vat estimated to be 10 to 20 metres tall," Mr Elliott said.
"For some reason there was an explosion. There was enough force in the blast to propel the cylinder a considerable distance up the road."
The man suffered upper body burns. Paramedics feared he could have burns to his airway that could affect his breathing.
"With that in mind, the man was placed into a coma and a breathing tube was fed down his airway so that paramedics could control his breathing," Mr Elliott said.
Paramedics applied specialist burns dressings and took the man to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition.
The second man was further from the blast but suffered minor injuries when the force of the explosion threw him to the ground.
The 69-year-old was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr Taylor said there was no fire because any flames were snuffed out by the explosion.
Firefighters helped the paramedics give first aid, he said.
Mr Taylor said about five workers were at the factory at the time.
He said the tank contained a mixture of glycerol and methanol.
The explosion rattled the windows of the nearby fire station, he said.
Mr Taylor said the MFB officers who attended, including a scientific officer, determined the substances were not flammable.
The Environment Protection Authority, WorkSafe Victoria and the state's police were investigating, he said
Man critical after factory blast October 6, 2010
AAP
Two men have been injured, one critically, in a massive explosion in Melbourne's north that emergency workers say could easily have claimed lives.
The explosion in Aylward Avenue, Thomastown, just 300 metres from the local fire station, at about 12.30pm (AEDT), blew a large stainless steel storage tank 130 metres from the biodiesel refinery, damaging three cars, Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) spokesman John Taylor said.
"It was lucky there was no one driving past," he told AAP.
Advertisement: Story continues below Ambulance Victoria paramedic group manager Tony Elliott said he was amazed there were only two casualties.
"It's incredible that more people weren't injured in the blast," Mr Elliott said.
"The vat landed about 100 metres up the street and steel pipes dropped on to cars, leaving an extensive trail of damage.
"Thankfully, no one in the street was hit by the flying debris."
A 75-year-old man, who was closest to the blast, suffered burns to about half his body.
"The man had apparently been welding a large cylinder-type vat estimated to be 10 to 20 metres tall," Mr Elliott said.
"For some reason there was an explosion. There was enough force in the blast to propel the cylinder a considerable distance up the road."
The man suffered upper body burns. Paramedics feared he could have burns to his airway that could affect his breathing.
"With that in mind, the man was placed into a coma and a breathing tube was fed down his airway so that paramedics could control his breathing," Mr Elliott said.
Paramedics applied specialist burns dressings and took the man to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition.
The second man was further from the blast but suffered minor injuries when the force of the explosion threw him to the ground.
The 69-year-old was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr Taylor said there was no fire because any flames were snuffed out by the explosion.
Firefighters helped the paramedics give first aid, he said.
Mr Taylor said about five workers were at the factory at the time.
He said the tank contained a mixture of glycerol and methanol.
The explosion rattled the windows of the nearby fire station, he said.
Mr Taylor said the MFB officers who attended, including a scientific officer, determined the substances were not flammable.
The Environment Protection Authority, WorkSafe Victoria and the state's police were investigating, he said
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