A worker who suffered horrific burns after a gas torch exploded in his face is now investigating his former employer.
Khaileb Ziday, 27, had his equipment explode while he was using it at a job site in Bendigo, Melbourne, on September 15, 2023.
Mr. Ziday suffered second-degree burns from cutting 230 steel posts with an oxyacetylene torch.
He was working for Solidity, a screw piling company that manufactured and installed steel posts used during the construction of building foundations, at the time.
Halfway through the play, Mr. Ziday’s torch went out. of oxygen and as he attempted to replace the empty canister, a fireball erupted and ‘shot’ towards him.
“I felt intense pain around my stomach, I thought I was on fire,” he said. He told 7News.
“I literally took off my shirt, which I thought was on fire, and the only thing I had on was my gloves. One of them was burned by the fireball.”
An oxyacetylene torch uses oxygen and gas for welding or cutting metals and can produce a red-hot flame that burns at two thousand degrees Celsius.
Khaileb Ziday, 27, suffered second-degree burns all over his body after the oxyacetylene torch he was using exploded on September 15, 2023.
Mr Ziday was rushed to hospital where he spent several days receiving treatment for his burns.
Even after being discharged he was required to… Use burn bandages and pads for several more weeks.
Two months after the accident he had fully recovered, but he was left with lifelong scars.
Mr Ziday initially continued working for Solidity before being fired in June for problems with his hearing that he said were made worse by the explosion.
Following his dismissal, Mr Ziday hired Cedrick Rwabutozi of Shine Lawyers to investigate whether there was any negligence in the workplace.
Claims that Solidity did not follow adequate safety procedures at the time of the accident and that management ignored the safety concerns of other workers.
According to Mr Ziday, workers were wearing gardening gloves instead of welding gloves and were not provided with proper protective eyewear.
Only after its accident did Solidity update its safety procedures, Ziday added.
“If they had done it earlier, I wouldn’t have had so many burns,” he said.
An oxyacetylene torch can reach temperatures of 2000°C and Mr Ziday needed medical attention and was left with permanent scarring (file photo)
Mr Rwabutozi told the publication that his client was left stranded. Physically and mentally marked.
Their research will seek to discover whether the equipment was in good working order, whether there was a fault that caused the torch to explode and whether Mr. Ziday He was provided with appropriate safety equipment and training.
The lawyer added that if the accident was due to negligence then his client will be ‘duly compensated’.
A Solidity spokesperson told the publication that had cooperated with WorkSafe during its investigation and that the matter had been resolved.
They clarified that ‘Solidity has always been committed to the safety and well-being of all employees and rigorous reviews have been employed to mitigate risks.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Solidity and Worksafe for comment.