Safety in handling bitumen

This arricle was reporduced from BBC for the sake of safety in handling bitumen

15-year-old boy was engulfed in flames and suffered a serious ankle injury when a metal drum exploded.

The teenager was using a grinder to cut the top off the 45 gallon drum, which contained a residue of bitumen, when a spark set off an explosion.

He suffered burns to his face and right hand and the blade from the grinder sliced into his ankle.

The boy was helping out at his father's fencing business in Brentwood, Essex, when the accident happened.

When Essex Fire and Rescue Service arrived, workers at the site had already stripped off the boy's burning clothes and put out the flames.

One of the first fire fighters on the scene, sub officer Neil Young said: "When we arrived, the boy was in a very bad way.

"Every exposed part of his body had been burnt. We put dressing on his burns and bandaged his ankle while waiting for paramedics to arrive."

The teenager was taken to the burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.