Beware starting fluid

[Jeremy]

Just to say that a friend of mine was rushed to hospital in an air ambulance a couple of days ago after an accident whilst starting a tractor using starting fluid (which he's done on many times before).

We don't entirely know what happened but there was a flash-fire, and the can of starting fluid was later found to be empty and with a hole burnt into the side - the presumption is that he accidentally touched it against one of the battery terminals.

He's Ok but will apparently need skin grafts to his hands, and his face and hip is badly blistered

So, as Sgt Phil Esterhaus use to say, be careful out there.

Jeremy

[eagle19952]

saw a can of that stuff explode in the cab of a truck...it was on the floor in the heater blower flow...took out the windows and burned the interior to smithereens... he had just stepped out use the can...

sorry about your friend  

[kyle4501]

Thanks for the reminder to be mindful of the stored energy in the everyday products we find so useful.

[Iceni John]

This is why it's so important to completely insulate any wrenches used for battery terminals, to fuse the batteries (including having catastrophe fuses as per Sean W.), and to position the batteries so their positive terminals are as far away from metal walls etc as possible.   Batteries are some of the most potentially dangerous things in the whole bus, so I treat them with absolute respect and care.

John