Don’t mess around with an air compressor!

We had an upsetting piece of news recently and we wanted to share this with you. No joking around should be tolerated at worksites. We take required measures by conforming to regulations stipulated by the government and with the help of tools and equipment, which allow us to be more cautious. Unfortunately, some workers took a joke too far, turning it into a tragedy.

Here is the news report concerning the incident:

One of two colleagues performing sandblasting tank cleaning work at a workplace located in Körfez district of KOCAELİ/İZMİT province was hospitalized as the result of a joke made with an air compressor. Cleaning their overalls from accumulated dust using an air compressor gun, Ümmet G., 38, pointed the air compressor gun at the rectum of his friend Bünyamin, and removed his overalls in a joke that caused him to be hospitalized and require surgery.

Company worker Bünyamin Ç, and his colleague Ümmet G., were performing sandblasting cleaning work on oil and similar storage tanks at an industrial manufacturer site in the region of Körfez District, Hacı Osman Locality. At the end of work hours the employees were cleaning their overalls using a compressed air gun. Cleaning their overalls of dust in the changing cabins, as per every workday evening, the two colleagues began to joke around by pointing the compressed air gun towards each other in the changing cabin. Bünyamin Ç. started to clean the overalls of his colleague, Ümmet G., using the compressed air gun. Ümmet G. then decided to make the same joke to Bünyamin Ç. by cleaning his overalls at the maximum setting on the air compressor. When Bünyamin Ç.’s overalls came off, his colleague put the compressed air gun into his rectum, performing an act that turned the joke into a tragedy. Bünyamin Ç.’s abdomen and some of his internal organs were instantly filled with air.

Causing his colleague to come close to death with his joke, Ümmet G. started to seek assistance from other workers in a panic. His stomach and bowels inflated with air, Bünyamin Ç. was taken to the emergency unit of Derince State Hospital by ambulance. Bünyamin Ç. was transferred to intensive care unit after surgery. Detained by the police, Ümmet G. is still under investigation.