Tradie left with permanent scars after suffering freak accident at work

A tradesman who suffered serious burns after a blowtorch exploded in his face is now investigating his former employer.

Khaileb Ziday, 27, saw his equipment explode while he was working on it at a construction site in Bendigo, Melbourne, on September 15, 2023.

Mr. Ziday suffered second-degree burns while cutting down 230 steel poles with an oxy-fuel burner.

He worked for Solidity was a screw pile company that manufactured and installed steel piles that were used in the construction of building foundations at the time.

Halfway through the job, Mr. Ziday’s flashlight ran out of power of oxygen and as he tried to replace the empty cartridge, a fireball erupted and ‘blew’ into him.

“I felt a hot pain around my stomach, I thought I was on fire,” he said told 7News.

“I literally took off my shirt that I thought was on fire and all I had on was my gloves. One of them was burned by the fireball.”

An autogenous acetylene burner is used oxygen and gas to weld or cut metals and can produce a red-hot flame that burns at a temperature of two thousand degrees Celsius.

Mr Ziday was rushed to hospital, where he remained for several days to receive treatment for his burns.

Even after he was fired, he still had to Wear burn dressings and pads for a few more weeks.

Two months after the accident he had fully recovered, but he was left with lifelong scars.

Mr Ziday initially remained with Solidity, but was dismissed in June due to hearing problems, which he said were exacerbated by the explosion.

After his dismissal, Mr. Ziday hired Cedrick Rwabutozi of Shine Lawyers to investigate whether there had been any negligence in the workplace.

He claims that Solidity has not been followed proper safety procedures at the time of the accident and that management ignored the safety concerns of other employees.

According to Mr Ziday, the workers wore gardening gloves instead of welding gloves and were not provided with appropriate safety glasses.

It was only after his accident that Solidity updated its safety procedures, Mr. Ziday said.

If they would [done] “That I would have fewer burns sooner,” he said.

An oxy-acetylene torch can reach temperatures of 2000C and Mr Ziday required medical attention and was left with permanent scars (stock photo)

Mr Rwabutozi told the publication that his client had both physically and mentally scarred.

His research will attempt to find out whether the equipment was in good working order, if there was a malfunction that caused the torch to explode and if Mr Ziday was provided with adequate safety equipment and training.

The lawyer added that if the accident was due to negligence, his client “‘correctly compensated’.

A spokesperson for Solidity told the publication that that the company had cooperated with WorkSafe during the 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 strict controls are in place to limit risks.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Solidity and Worksafe for comment.