October has been a bad month for cylinder accidents. There have been two catastrophic ruptures, one in Australia and one in the Netherlands, that unfortunately have resulted in severe injuries or fatalities. On 5 October, a 36-year-old man lost a leg in a dive-shop explosion in Geelong, near Melbourne in Australia. He had been filling cylinders at the long-established Australian Diving Instruction school on 5 October after the school had closed. The explosion blew out the windows of the building, and emergency services treated the man at the scene for more than an hour before he could be airlifted to hospital. His condition was said to remain serious, and WorkSafe Victoria inspectors were investigating.
On 16 October, a Dutch scuba-diving instructor died of his injuries following an incident at a public swimming pool in Amstelveen, a suburb of Amsterdam. The fatality occurred at the De Meerkamp pool complex. The victim, from the Nemo diving club, was conducting a lesson in a dedicated instruction pool when a scuba tank is believed to have exploded. The pool was evacuated and remains closed while the Netherlands Labour Inspectorate investigates the incident. Preliminary findings show that a incompatible valve was installed in the cylinder, resulting in a failure to maintain structural integrity of the cylinder.
Both of these accidents could have been prevented with proper safety and cylinder handling training.
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