Hospital explosion
The AFP report on the explosion in a Ukrainian hospital published on January 19 in a local English daily is a serious matter. All our clinics and hospitals should take note of this accident, and review their safety measures as they are one of the largest users of oxygen all over Bangladesh.
The explosion of oxygen canisters and not high pressure oxygen cylinders as reported, must have been due to two primary reasons. One, there was something flammable that contaminated the oxygen. It could be leaking natural gas or methane, or oil or some inflammable liquid and a source of fire. That could be an electric spark or careless use of a lighter or cigarette or any such source.
Oxygen by itself does not ignite an explosion, it needs a combustible material and a spark or flame; to cause such a havoc particularly in the (ICU) intensive care unit of a hospital! The matter as reported only reflects the poor standard of housekeeping and safety precautions being taken in that hospital, as such explosions are rare. There is more possibility of such accidents in an industrial work place involving gas cutting and welding operation where both oxygen and the highly combustible acetylene gases are normally used.
For such an explosion and fire to happen in a hospital and an ICU for that matter is beyond comprehension! Something must have been seriously ignored at the hospital by the management, beyond the normal levels of neglect, that one may come across. The explosion, fire and the destruction of the hospital building, is a matter that needs to be thoroughly investigated and reported so that such accidents can never happen again!
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