Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Cambodia news in English! Here you'll find all the breaking news from Cambodia translated into English for our international readership and expat community to read and comment on. The majority of our news stories are gathered from the local Khmer newspapers, but we also bring you newsworthy media from Cambodia before you read them anywhere else. Because of the huge population of the capital city, most articles are from Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot often make the headlines as well. We report on all arrests and deaths of foreigners in Cambodia, and the details often come from the Cambodian police or local Khmer journalists. As an ASEAN news outlet, we also publish regional news and events from our neighboring countries. We also share local Khmer news stories that you won't find in English anywhere else. If you're looking for a certain article, you may use our site's search feature to find it quickly.
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Cambodia News (Phnom Penh): At 3:50 pm on October 5, 2022, at the 24Hour HANA Gas Tank Dealer Shop on St. 271, Sangkat Phsar Deum Thkov, Khan Chamkar Maun, Phnom Penh, a welder suffered severe burns following a gas tank explosion while welding.
Image
According to the source, the victim was hired by the owner to work at the shop, when the sparks from the welding met the nearby gas tanks causing them to explode. The explosion left the victim with some serious burns and he was later admitted to the nearby hospital, but his days are not in danger.
Image
Fortunately, the explosion was not more serious because it occurred in a populated area with many people coming and going. The police blame the accident on the welder for being careless.
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
Doc67
Expatriate
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:16 am
Reputation: 8145
Location: PHNOM PENH
Great Britain

Re: Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by Doc67 »

The police blame the accident on the welder for being careless.


I blame the owner for allowing welding near gas bottles. Occupier's liability will put the blame on him and anything his workers do in the course of their approved work practices also places the blame on the business owner under vicarious liability.

But hey, this is Cambodia, so blame the little guy for doing his job and let the boss off the hook. He probably won't even have to pay for his medical care for his serious burns.
User avatar
Freightdog
Expatriate
Posts: 4351
Joined: Wed May 16, 2018 8:41 am
Reputation: 3446
Location: Attached to a suitcase between realities
Ireland

Re: Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by Freightdog »

I’m not sure the police are best suited to determine cause, blame or responsibility. It doesn’t seem like exhaustive investigations are carried out too often, and they shouldn’t be apportioning blame.

Gas bottles are pretty damned robust. Sparks being near the bottles is nothing. Sparks near dodgy regulators, damaged hoses, loose fittings is quite possible. Bad practice may be involved, but the actual cause I’m sure has not been established.
Chad Sexington
Expatriate
Posts: 1054
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:43 pm
Reputation: 1343
Great Britain

Re: Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by Chad Sexington »

When propane (or any flammable gas) cylinders/tanks are in decent condition, sparks from welding or grinding are not particularly dangerous (unless you weld directly to a steel bottle).
Most gas explosions are caused by gas leaking from containers that are damaged, have not been shut off correctly, or are leaking gas from damaged hoses/fittings.
The red gas cylinder shown in the photo, is fitted with the hose and connector used for transferring gas from a larger cylinder to a smaller one (basically, for filling several smaller cylinders from a single larger one)
I’d bet that there was gas leaking at the time, or escaped gas accumulated in some space or container, which ignited when the guy started welding.
Contrary to popular belief, gas cylinders rarely explode, even when heated, say in a burning building. They are fitted with pressure relief valves, which vent when a certain pressure is exceeded (for example if the cylinder is placed on a fire, causing the contents to heat and expand) Rather than rupturing and releasing the entire contents, the gas is vented in a steady stream, which ignites and burns off (in a similar fashion to the spray from an aerosol can being lit) in a controlled manner.
Bluenose
Expatriate
Posts: 804
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:44 pm
Reputation: 443
Great Britain

Re: Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by Bluenose »

Chad Sexington wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:56 am When propane (or any flammable gas) cylinders/tanks are in decent condition, sparks from welding or grinding are not particularly dangerous (unless you weld directly to a steel bottle).
Most gas explosions are caused by gas leaking from containers that are damaged, have not been shut off correctly, or are leaking gas from damaged hoses/fittings.
The red gas cylinder shown in the photo, is fitted with the hose and connector used for transferring gas from a larger cylinder to a smaller one (basically, for filling several smaller cylinders from a single larger one)
I’d bet that there was gas leaking at the time, or escaped gas accumulated in some space or container, which ignited when the guy started welding.
Contrary to popular belief, gas cylinders rarely explode, even when heated, say in a burning building. They are fitted with pressure relief valves, which vent when a certain pressure is exceeded (for example if the cylinder is placed on a fire, causing the contents to heat and expand) Rather than rupturing and releasing the entire contents, the gas is vented in a steady stream, which ignites and burns off (in a similar fashion to the spray from an aerosol can being lit) in a controlled manner.
Scrub my upvote - I'm 99% sure that the red cylinder in the photo is actually a large capacity fire extinguisher
Chad Sexington
Expatriate
Posts: 1054
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:43 pm
Reputation: 1343
Great Britain

Re: Welder Sparks Off Gas Tank Explosion

Post by Chad Sexington »

Bluenose wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 7:14 pm
Chad Sexington wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:56 am When propane (or any flammable gas) cylinders/tanks are in decent condition, sparks from welding or grinding are not particularly dangerous (unless you weld directly to a steel bottle).
Most gas explosions are caused by gas leaking from containers that are damaged, have not been shut off correctly, or are leaking gas from damaged hoses/fittings.
The red gas cylinder shown in the photo, is fitted with the hose and connector used for transferring gas from a larger cylinder to a smaller one (basically, for filling several smaller cylinders from a single larger one)
I’d bet that there was gas leaking at the time, or escaped gas accumulated in some space or container, which ignited when the guy started welding.
Contrary to popular belief, gas cylinders rarely explode, even when heated, say in a burning building. They are fitted with pressure relief valves, which vent when a certain pressure is exceeded (for example if the cylinder is placed on a fire, causing the contents to heat and expand) Rather than rupturing and releasing the entire contents, the gas is vented in a steady stream, which ignites and burns off (in a similar fashion to the spray from an aerosol can being lit) in a controlled manner.
Scrub my upvote - I'm 99% sure that the red cylinder in the photo is actually a large capacity fire extinguisher
I’m happy to stand corrected if it is a fire extinguisher, but it does resemble the rig I’ve seen used in some gas bottle shops for refilling cylinders.
I was speculating on that maybe being the source of leaked gas.
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot], Amazon [Bot], Lost50 and 813 guests