The welding technician killed in a mobile phone battery explosion in Gansu Province has been confirmed to have been using a Motorola cell phone, but with a battery not included with the original package.
Explosive mobile phone and battery [Yangcheng Metro Daily]
The Star Daily reports sources with the local administration of work safety as saying that, since the phone battery was not a Motorola battery, public security staff are investigating the identity of the as-yet unidentified battery manufacturer.
Motorola's Beijing press officer Yang Boning also told the newspaper that preliminary investigation results show that it is almost impossible for a cell phone to have caused such an explosion. Nonetheless, Motorola is actively cooperating with relevant departments in conducting the investigation.
In an interview with the Lanzhou Morning Post on Wednesday afternoon, Vice Director Chen Gang with Jinta County's Administration of Work Safety said the death of the 22-year old welding technician Xiao Jinpeng has been defined as a 'production safety incident' occurring at work.
The family of the deceased has been paid 130 thousand yuan in compensation by the Yingpan iron smelting plant in Jinata County, Gansu Province, where the victim used to work.
At midday on June 19, an unusually warm day, welder Xiao's mobile phone exploded in his chest pocket while he was welding. He was immediately rushed to hospital, but died later despite all rescue efforts.
The mobile phone used by the technician was purchased by his relative from an out-of-town store, and is currently undergoing tests.
The investigation team responsible for tracing the explosion's cause concluded that this is not the first mobile phone explosion incident, but certainly the first to have killed a phone user in China.
Since there is no regulation in China to cope with mobile phone explosions, Chen Gang says much trouble exists regarding how to deal with this specific incident.
Meanwhile, the mobile phone instructions fail to specify that a welding technician cannot take his mobile phone with him to work.
The official has urged government departments to set up specific regulations concerning compensation for such mobile phone explosions in future.
Phone Battery Explosion Kills Weldor in Gansu Province
A worker using electric welding equipment in Gansu Province died recently due to a mobile phone battery explosion, a local newspaper reported Tuesday.
The deceased, Xiao Jinpeng, was a 22-year old welding technician at the Yingpan iron smelting plant in Shuangcheng town, in Gansu Province's county of Jinta, according to a report in the Lanzhou Morning Post.
At midday on June 19, an unusually warm day, Xiao's mobile phone exploded in his chest pocket while he was welding. He was immediately rushed to hospital, but died later despite all rescue efforts.
Autopsy results and an investigation of the explosion scene led the police to conclude that the explosion was the result of excessively high temperatures. The explosion fractured Xiao's ribs, causing them to pierce his heart, resulting in his eventual death.
This is the first death caused by a mobile phone battery explosion in China, according to the report.
Jinta County Public Security Bureau (PSB) stated that the incident is being treated as an accident, with no foul play suspected at present. Due to the accidental nature of the incident, the local PSB is only responsible for scene inspection and autopsy work, while the local safety department is responsible for any further investigations and compensation claims, a local PSB official, was cited by the report as saying.
Jinta County's Administration of Work Safety (AWS) stated that the incident has been defined as a production safety incident due to the death occurring at work. AWS mediation with Yingpan iron smelting plant officials has led to a settlement in excess of RMB 100,000 (,166.38) for the deceased's family.
The mobile phone used by the deceased was purchased by relatives from an out of town store and is currently undergoing tests. Representatives from the retailer will soon arrive in Jinta to assist in the investigation, according to the report.
However, neither the names of the mobile phone retailer nor manufacturer have been released.
Quality defects, repeated over-charging and short circuits are the three main causes of lithium-ion battery explosions, a type of long-life battery commonly used in mobile phones. Therefore, consumers should use the same make of battery, charger and mobile phone, and keep batteries away from high temperatures and direct exposure to sunlight.
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