FATAL ACCIDENT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 11, 14 January 1928, Page 9

FATAL ACCIDENT

FILLING LIGHTED LAMPS • The replenishing of lamps with methylated spirit in the presence of flames was criticised yesterday afternoon at the inquest on George Walter Jessen, aged 20. years, who died from injuries received on 22nd November, 1927. Jessen was a butter moisture tester employed by the Department of Agriculture, and at the time of the accident was working with another t«iter in the testing room of the Co-opera-tive Dairy Producers' Farmers' Freezing Works, Waterloo quay. Charles Stanton, who was working in the same room with Jessen when the accident occurred, said as far as he knew. Jessen was filling a lamp when the explosion occurred. There was a cap on every lamp, and it was understood that the caps, which slid up, were put down when the lamps were being filled. He considered it was safe to fill the lamp with the cap over the wick. They had filled with the flame alight, with the cap over it, for 18 months without an acciRoy Girling Butcher, Inspector of Explosives, explained how the, ignition of the vapour would be liable to cause an explosion of the tin. He thought the filling should be done outside a small room such as the one involved, and there should be nd lighto on the bench when the filling was being done. Definite regulations were issued only where larger quantities of spirit were used. A verdict was returned that Jessen died as a result of injuries received through the explosion of methylated spirit which he was using in the course of his duties. Mr. E. Page, S.M. (Coroner), said that it seemed clear from the evidence of the Inspector of Explosives that the procedure followed was unsafe. Whether that was due to inadequate instructions on the part of the Department, or failure on the part of the employees to carry out instructions, had not been disclosed.