High School Tragedy
Safety and security are assured in certain places. These are the places where society would prefer their most vulnerable be cared for. In their homes, in schools. But accidents occur anywhere. And no one ever knows what fate or fortune has in store for anyone. And it is just as well that we don't know. We trust that there will be no issues, nothing that will occur to disturb our peace of mind.
Parents have an easy mind knowing that while they are busy going about their work day their children are at school. Their malleable minds are being exposed to useful information, their interest in various types of enquiry and enlightenment are being stimulated. And, in some schools, science classes and physical education classes and technical classes introduce young people to physical and technical and scientific stress.
There is the occasional mishap, with pulled muscles and bruises at phys ed, with chemicals erupting at science classes, and shopwork at technical classes may result in cuts and slightly more serious accidents as young people learn to master an array of mechanical and electrical saws and other devices. And then there is the rare occasion when something may really go awry.
As it did this week at Mother Teresa High School in a suburb of Ottawa. Grade 12 students were working at the automotive shop, cutting up metal barrels for the purpose of making them over into barbecues, a neat reinvention of purpose. Not so neat when the barrels held substances that were volatile in nature, as happened with one young man, and one barrel.
The barrel, previously used to store a highly volatile oil commonly used in herbal medicines, perfumes and skin products, was being cut in half by 18-year-old Eric Leighton, when it exploded. The peppermint oil, flammable in the presence of heat or open flame or sparks, exploded in the boy's face and fatally injured him.
Paramedics were able to restore a pulse en route to hospital, but the boy did not survive. Now questions should be asked, for example, why discarded metal drums whose former contents might prove hazardous were being used without full knowledge of the extent to which they might be considered dangerous?
Might the teacher, also injured and sent to hospital, not have been aware that peppermint oil can be explosive when the fumes are mixed with air?
Parents have an easy mind knowing that while they are busy going about their work day their children are at school. Their malleable minds are being exposed to useful information, their interest in various types of enquiry and enlightenment are being stimulated. And, in some schools, science classes and physical education classes and technical classes introduce young people to physical and technical and scientific stress.
There is the occasional mishap, with pulled muscles and bruises at phys ed, with chemicals erupting at science classes, and shopwork at technical classes may result in cuts and slightly more serious accidents as young people learn to master an array of mechanical and electrical saws and other devices. And then there is the rare occasion when something may really go awry.
As it did this week at Mother Teresa High School in a suburb of Ottawa. Grade 12 students were working at the automotive shop, cutting up metal barrels for the purpose of making them over into barbecues, a neat reinvention of purpose. Not so neat when the barrels held substances that were volatile in nature, as happened with one young man, and one barrel.
The barrel, previously used to store a highly volatile oil commonly used in herbal medicines, perfumes and skin products, was being cut in half by 18-year-old Eric Leighton, when it exploded. The peppermint oil, flammable in the presence of heat or open flame or sparks, exploded in the boy's face and fatally injured him.
Paramedics were able to restore a pulse en route to hospital, but the boy did not survive. Now questions should be asked, for example, why discarded metal drums whose former contents might prove hazardous were being used without full knowledge of the extent to which they might be considered dangerous?
Might the teacher, also injured and sent to hospital, not have been aware that peppermint oil can be explosive when the fumes are mixed with air?
posted by Pieface @ 7:14 PM
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