A carbon monoxide poisoning accident occurred in a primary school in Hengchun Town, Pingtung County. Five students were rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, they were not in danger of life. However, the cause of the incident was “a bit far-fetched”. It turned out that a young teacher took fourth-grade students to grill meat in the classroom with a gas stove. The disaster occurred due to poor ventilation. There was another teacher who did not stop it. The school informed the county government’s education department and will punish the two teachers on the scene in accordance with regulations.
The Pingtung County Fire Department received a report at around 11 am on the 27th that a primary school had a carbon monoxide poisoning incident. Several ambulances were immediately dispatched to help. When they arrived at the scene, they found that teachers and students in a class of the school were grilling meat in the classroom. Due to the use of gas stoves and poor ventilation, the indoor carbon monoxide concentration increased. Five students felt unwell, dizzy, vomiting, and weak limbs. They were sent to Hengchun Christian Hospital and Hengchun Tourism Hospital. One person is under observation and the rest have returned home to recuperate. Fortunately, they are not seriously injured.
The school found that there were 28 students in the classroom at the time of the incident. The class instructor and two subject teachers were suspected to have a barbecue in the classroom with the students because the courses and final exams of this semester were over and they would have summer vacation next week. However, they did not inform the school until the five students showed signs of illness. The school believed that the teacher had a serious lack of safety awareness and would consider punishment in the future. The lightest punishment would be a demerit.
The Pingtung County Government Education Department sent an inspector to the school to investigate and asked the school to clarify the cause of the accident and submit a report. In the future, the safety of school activities will be strictly controlled. After the incident, local people discussed and questioned the loose management of the school and hoped to strengthen the safety training of teachers. The school promised to learn from this and review the safety regulations to ensure the health and safety of students.
