Woman badly burned decanting petrol

[Blu]

here

Horrific.

It doesn't sound ilke a 'jerrycan' incident, but I hope there are no more like it over the coming weeks. Safer to stay put than store petrol or be pouring, syphoning or decanting it.

and the rest of them? kick them when they're down? Is that it?

You don't have to say anything at all, you know.

Can someone answer a question for me? Some people have been talking about the hob being on and naked flames etc but all I can find in news reports is that the 'cooker' was on, which could be the main cooker behind a closed door.

I understand that vapours could permeate through an oven door but I think it's rather less obvious that decanting petrol in that situation would be dangerous than doing it with a gas hob on.

I just think if it was a main oven with a closed door it would be worth that being made public as there might be lots of people thinking they would never have petrol near a naked flame but who might not think a switched-on oven to be equally as dangerous.

What you don't seem to realise is that we're not actually talking in front of the woman concerned. If we were I'd be nothing but sympathetic. But inside my head I'd still think she was very very stupid to do what she did.

Blimey, this is a harsh thread.

The incident just demonstrates the general publics ignorance of petrol and its safe handling. Those of you banging on about what a stupid thing it was to do next to a naked flame - I hope you realise that it's not just a naked flame, it's any source of ignition. This could include a surface heated to an extremely high temp or a spark such as inside a light switch.

I went to a really interesting fire training course once. The guy had a steel tray filled with petrol. He threw his lit cigarette into the fuel and it was extinguished as if he was throwing it into water (no vapour had been given a chance to accumulate around the tray). Then he got this mock-up of a room made with glass with a thimble-full of fuel in it. A spark from a light switch turned it into a fireball. (I froze my hand to the fire extinguisher putting the fire out, but that's a different story!)

Poor woman, life ruined from a moment not thinking while trying to help someone out

flowery - see my post above. The source of ignition could be a lit gas hob or oven (naked flames) or any hot surface (leccy oven,etc). The crucial thing is the enclosed space of a room such as a kitchen, allowing the vapour density to increase to dangerous levels.

It would be just as dangerous to decant in an enclosed shed or garage, then switch the light on!

And another thing

I think this thread demonstrates that we should have sympathy for the drivers who are striking about health and safety concerns. It's bloody dangerous stuff petrol.

Hi ramble, useful post thank you. But my point is do we know whether this poor lady was decanting with a naked flame nearby or just the oven on. My concern is people thinking she was stupid for doing it near a naked flame and thinking they would never do that while not knowing that any heat source or potential spark is as dangerous, as you point out.

I just think if it were just a closed oven rather than a naked flame, making that clear might be useful in educating people about the exact points you make, and avoiding this tragic incident as being dismissed as complete stupidity.

Yes, Jasmine, I think you've made that very clear.

But you don't appear to realise that this is a public enough forum for members of her family, or her friends to be reading this thread.

And on that basis alone I think it pertinent to think before you speak, about whether or not your comments have the potential to really hurt. I still don't understand why you seem to have such a strong need to put it out there just how stupid you think she is. I can only think that it helps you to feel better in some way, because it's too late to be of any help to her.

Well I didn't know that fumes are so flammable. It's all very well saying it's common sense or whatever, but if you've never come across that piece of information before then why would you think of it?

There was an article about someone who got cement burns once. Some of the comments about "everyone knows cement causes burns" were along the same lines - assuming that it's obvious to everyone, when actually it isn't.

I knew that any potential heat source, spark etc could ignite petrol vapour.

I imagine it's this sort of person who needs the warnings on take away cups of coffee "Warning, contains hot liquid. Hot liquid can burn you."

Oh FFS Jasmine, why do you need to keep putting the boot in like this?

What exactly has this woman ever done to you? You don't even know her to comment on how stupid or not she is. Intelligent people do make mistakes.

The coffee cup thing is for everyone because for some reason, those little holes in the lids seem to intensify the heat and steam so that it is quite common to burn oneself on what is normally boiling hot coffee, much hotter than a cup you'd make at home without a cover on it.

I think your responses say something about you, not about the woman in the news. What that is it's hard to say.

Do you have something against middle aged women in general? Is that it? Because I'm struggling to find a motive for your sarcasm.

Intelligent people do make mistakes. True, but surely not on this scale? And not everyone is intelligent. That's life.

I'm middle aged myself so no. I guess I'm someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Well, luckily for you, you don't have to suffer in this instance at all.

It's not through luck I'm not suffering like this woman.

I'll save my sympathy for people who are suffering through no fault of their own.

We're not on some sort of sympathy budget you know... It is possible to feel sympathy for lots of different people at one time.

It's quite cold hearted to say you have no sympathy for the woman

"I knew that any potential heat source, spark etc could ignite petrol vapour."

That means that you personally must have come across this information at some time. It has nothing to do with intelligence or common sense, it just means that you either read it or someone told you.

"I'm middle aged myself so no. I guess I'm someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly."

I guess you could say that I am middle aged as well, but I am utterly at your self righteous smuggery over this poor woman's fate. Yes, it was a dim thing to do, but she has paid an incredibly high price for a moment's stupidity.

I agree with another poster's surprise that so many people didn't realise that petrol fumes were so dangerous. I guess I watch too many crime dramas on TV. Also there are notices at petrol stations instructing people not to smoke or use naked flames.

I didn't read it and nobody told me. I'm over 40, there's lots of things that I know without being told. I use my brain to think things through for myself.

Very good point about this proving we should support the drivers, RambleOn.

Apparently these days new tanker drivers are sent out after ONE day's training. I'm ruddy glad the union are tackling the irresponsible employers if the bosses are prepared to be so cavalier with their employees and the public.

Jasmine - no, you don't know things without being told. You've just accumulated lots of information by the time you are in your 40s. Some of which allows you to work out other stuff.

But well done you on being far more intelligent than other people, have a prize.

Apparently the poor girl is now in Pinderfields hospital, Wakefield. I wouldn't leave a dog in that dump.

Well Jasmine that's really great, and good for you, being able to know things without the help of external sources.

But I find your attitude horrifying. I really do.

Well in that case you are easily horrified it seems.