Apprentice mechanic 02.11.2005

An 18-year-old apprentice mechanic died four days after becoming engulfed in flames in an explosion. He was helping his manager empty a mixture of petrol and diesel from a dustbin into a waste oil disposal tank when the petrol exploded. A flue pipe outlet from a gas boiler was situated next to the tank and was switched on at the time: the petrol vapour ignited in a massive fireball. The young man was learning the trade, and was dependent on the duty of care owed to him by his manager and the garage owner. The attitude of the company was that health and safety was a matter of common sense, left to the experience of employees.